Running head: MEDICAL ERRORS: RESPONSE PAPER 1

Medical Errors: Response Paper

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation
MEDICAL ERRORS: RESPONSE PAPER 2

Medical Errors: Response Paper

The response shows a good understanding of the situation at hand; it recognizes that the

challenge is that the patient cannot afford the prescribed medicine, and that makes continued

medication almost impossible. Moreover, it acknowledges the principles of nursing at stake,

nonmaleficence and beneficence; discontinued medication would be harmful to the patient.

Further, the post explores the various possible solutions that could remedy the situation, and

therefore, facilitate the achievement of the primary goal of nursing, which is to save lives.

Having read everything, the concept of sustainability in medicine comes out clearly, and that

necessitates the urge to explore how sustainability relates to the ethical principles identified in

the post.

By description, sustainability is about safety both at present and in future. In medicine,

the law of sustainability requires that a medication must be not only affordable, but also harmless

to the patient (George, Coffin, & George, 2013). That is, a patient should be in a position to use a

given drug for the required duration without it causing any harm to the user. That explains why

Provision 2 dictates that a nurse should primarily focus on the patient; thus, they have to ensure

the latter’s health and safety as articulated in Provision 4 (American Nurses Association, 2001).

So, sustainability in pharmacology is about issuing safe medicines that would promote the

patient’s health as required.

Nonmaleficence, as stated in the response, is about doing no harm to the patient. In the

post, the author stressed on the rule: “Do not cause pain or suffering” (Jahn, 2011). The writer

highlighted the possible suffering the couple would undergo in the claim that some patients

would be forced to forgo basic needs to meet medical requirements. That, in itself, is not

sustainable because sustainability is about ensuring that one does not strain to access healthcare.
MEDICAL ERRORS: RESPONSE PAPER 3

The extent of foregoing basic needs such as food would worsen the patient’s health; one needs

comfort to facilitate faster healing. Henceforth, there is some relationship between the ethical

principle of nonmaleficence and sustainable medicine.

Also, sustainability could be achieved through the observance of the law of beneficence.

One act of beneficence is helping people who could be in danger (Jahn, 2011). In the response,

the writer suggests actions of beneficence, such as continuing to offer the medication at no cost

and offering alternative medicines. That is, it is about reducing risks as much as possible and

ensuring maximum benefits from a given medical practice (Jahn, 2011). The art of reducing risks

and maximizing benefits is part of sustainability. It ascertains no harm, and therefore, gives

better health outcomes, which is sustainability (George, Coffin, & George, 2013). Indeed, the

ethical principle of beneficence is a facet of sustainability.

Conclusively, it is quite commendable that the writer touched on sustainability in

medicine. Indeed, it is necessary for professionals to put forward sustainable interventions to

maximize the quality of care as per the American Nurses Association’s provisions.

Nonmaleficence and beneficence are just some of the ethical principles that would ensure

sustainability. Collectively, the two principles would direct nurses not to prescribe medications

that the patients may not afford. Expensive medications increase risk of withdrawal as observed

in the post, and therefore, would expose the patient to more risk. The remedies that the author

suggested would reduce the risk, and therefore, are sustainable ways of handling the situation.
MEDICAL ERRORS: RESPONSE PAPER 4

References

American Nurses Association. (2001). Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements.

Nursing World. Retrieved from

http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/EthicsStandards/CodeofEthicsforNur

ses/Code-of-Ethics-For-Nurses.html

George, R., Coffin, J., & George, S. (2013). Sustainability in medicine. Journal of Medical

Practice Management, 29(2), pp. 128-129.

Jahn W. T. (2011). The 4 basic ethical principles that apply to forensic activities are respect for

autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. Journal of chiropractic

medicine, 10(3), 225–226. doi:10.1016/j.jcm.2011.08.004