Running head: ERROR IN MEDICAL PRESCRIPTION 1

Error in Medical Prescription

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation
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Error in Medical Prescription

Human is to err, and just like any other professionals, medics also commit some errors

once in a while. While some errors might seem minor, they might have some grave effects on the

patient’s health. That raises the debate of disclosure and nondisclosure of medical errors; should

a medic inform the patient in case they commit an error? Well, both choices have their legal and

ethical implications, but it is better to disclose an error. However, that does not mean that medics

should commit errors; in fact, there exist a procedure that one should follow in the process of

prescribing and a set of strategies to reduce medical errors as well.

Ethical and Legal Implications of Disclosure and Nondisclosure

Nondisclosure of errors, from an ethical perspective, is an act of dishonesty. From

medical ethics, practitioners should be open with patients on their health status, as that is the only

way to adhere to the principle of autonomy. As Jahn (2011) put it, autonomy is about making

sound and deliberate decisions about one’s health; so, a nurse has to empower the patient by

being very transparent about the latter’s condition. Besides, nondisclosure would ruin the

“mutual respect, trust, and partnership between provider and patient” (Liang, 2002). Legally,

there is a possibility of facing a lawsuit if the patient later discovers that the nurse committed the

error, but did not disclose it (Rosner, Berger, Kark, Potash, & Bennett, 2000). That is because

nondisclosure is against the ethical principle of nonmaleficence; the error could cause harm to

the patient (Jahn, 2011). So, the patient would have a ground on which they could sue the nurse.

Likewise, disclosure would have some ethical and legal implications. Legally, the nurse

could face a lawsuit for their act of negligence. That is because the disclosure might spur some

emotional feelings in the patient, and thus, make them seek legal redress (Rosner et al., 2011).

However, people would not be allowed to testify against the provider in court, it would a case
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between the plaintiff and the defendant (Rosner et al., 2011). Alternatively, the authorities might

warn the nurse against acting with such sheer negligence. Elsewhere, the nurse might be forced

to apologize to the plaintiff as a show of remorse and empathy towards the latter (Liang, 2002).

Need to note, disclosure would enable the patient to avert any possible negative effects of the

error; hence, it is an act of beneficence (Jahn, 2011). Indeed, disclosure has its ethical and legal

implications.

Error Disclosure as an Advanced Nurse

As an advanced practice nurse, I would disclose the error committed. As aforementioned,

nurses have to operate within the realms of transparency so as to ascertain autonomy (Jahn,

2011). Disclosure would help in averting any possible negative impact that the drug would have

on the patient. Thus, it would be justified under the law of causing no harm to the patient,

nonmaleficence. Besides, if I disclosed the information myself, I would be in a position to

apologize, and at the same time, maintain the trust that exists between the patient and I (Liang,

2002). On the contrary, the patient might feel annoyed by my negligence, but disclosure would

put me at a better position of being forgiven by the client as opposed to if they discovered by

themselves. Therefore, I would choose to disclose the error instead of letting the client either

discover for themselves, or suffer possible adverse effects without discovering.

Process of Writing Prescriptions and Strategies to Minimize Medication Errors

Prescription involves a series of steps. One, the prescriber needs to collect data on,

analyze information on, and define a patient’s condition clearly. Secondly, the prescribe draws a

clear goal of intervention. Based on the goal, the medic selects the correct drug that would meet

the intervention’s goal without causing harm to the patient. Thereafter, it is essential to initiate

the therapy, and also, consider the nonpharmacological interventions that need to be part of the
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intervention. Next, clear and detailed information on how to use the drugs should be given, and

the prescriber should follow up the therapy to ensure no allergic reactions (Pollock, Bazaldua, &

Dobbie, 2007). That is the general procedure that every medical practitioner should follow to

ensure proper prescriptions.

Also, there are numerous safety measures that practitioners could adhere to. One, it is

necessary for the medic to consider the patient’s ability to purchase a drug before prescribing it;

otherwise, the patient would opt for alternatives, which would not be the doctor’s prescription.

Also, due to human error, it is safer to use computer devices to prescribe as that would be more

eligible to the pharmacist (Pollock, Bazaldua, & Dobbie, 2007). Additionally, prescribers should

avoid abbreviations in their prescriptions; abbreviations could confuse the pharmacist. Further,

medical facilities should train their practitioners on the safety requirements as far as prescription

is concerned. Still, medical personnel could include the purpose of the drug in the prescription;

that would ensure that the right drug is issued for the right purpose (Recommendations to

Enhance Accuracy of Prescription/Medication Order Writing, 2014). Therefore, all prescriber

should employ the aforementioned strategies to reduce cases of medical errors.

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References

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

Liang, B. A. (2002). A system of medical error disclosure. BMJ Quality & Safety, 11(1), 64-68.

Pollock, M., Bazaldua, O. V., & Dobbie, A. E. (2007). Appropriate prescribing of medications:

an eight-step approach. Am Fam Physician, 75(2), 231-6.

Recommendations to enhance accuracy of prescription/medication order writing. (2014).

National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention.

Retrieved from https://www.nccmerp.org/recommendations-enhance-accuracy-

prescription-writing

Rosner, F., Berger, J. T., Kark, P., Potash, J., & Bennett, A. J. (2000). Disclosure and prevention

of medical errors. Archives of Internal medicine, 160(14), 2089-2092.