Acritical application of the principles of law, accountability and ethics to a patient prescribing scenario from medically supervised practice Free Essay Example, 1500 words

So prescribing on behalf of a colleague makes the prescriber accountable for anything that goes wrong and it is the prescriber against whom action is taken if there’s a legal case. Further, it is not just legally that a prescriber gets bound but also it’s unethical if the prescriber gives prescriptions without really knowing about the situation. Even though it would seem selfish on part of prescriber to not prescribe the medications just because this puts the prescriber accountable but it is better to evaluate the situation before making prescriptions. In spite of the duty that one holds towards a patient a prescriber should take care before signing a prescription unless it’s an emergency. It is absolutely imperative that, ideally, whoever is writing the prescription(s) physically sees the patient. Not only is this a way of keeping other medical personnel professionally responsible for their actions, but it is also the right ethical consideration to take into account—which will be discussed more at length in the triad section. In short, it is important that all factors be taken into consideration when prescribing medication. We will write a custom essay sample on Acritical application of the principles of law, accountability and ethics to a patient prescribing scenario from medically supervised practice or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Next, the legal implications of prescribing medication will now be entertained, taking into account current prescription law. III. Law (571 words) As had been earlier said prescribers are legally bound to their decisions. It is their duty to ensure that the prescriptions do not cause any harm to the patient else the action is taken against the one who signs the prescriptions. Even so there are certain stipulations that are in place, depending upon who is doing the prescribing. â€Å"As well as extending independent prescribing responsibilities†¦prescribing could be passed to another health professional†¦ The necessary legal framework to enable this was subsequently included in the [law]† (â€Å"An Outline Framework to Help Allied Health Professional Supplementary Prescribers, † 2004, pp. 8). Even though there are regulations that allow prescribing on behalf of a colleague but there are rules to that as well. The standards make it clear that nurse and midwife prescribers must not prescribe for themselves and should not prescribe for any person with whom they have a close personal or emotional relationsh ip. If the circumstances are exceptional, the prescriber must provide justification for why, at the time, a prescription could not be issued by another independent prescriber. In 2008, a fitness to practise panel removed a nurse from the NMC register for illegally prescribing for her husband, whom she had registered as a temporary patient.