Case Scenario Analysis
Ethical and Legal Implications
Healthcare providers are guided by a legal framework that controls the practices of the professionals even when they enjoy autonomy. In the case scenario, a friend calls for a medication prescription even when the autonomous prescriber has less or no medical history of the patient. In this scenario, various legal and ethical implications may concern the patient and the prescribing healthcare provider. The healthcare provider may highly prescribe a risky medication that may have adverse effects. The healthcare provider prescribing the medications to the patient without the patient’s history may contradict the ethical principle of non-maleficence since this may be an unsafe and ineffective prescription. The same principle applies to a pharmacist who provides OTC medications without assessing the patient and without official instructions and documentation from the physician. According to Markel (2016), it is unlawful to prescribe medications without proper documentation from the physician showing affirming the prescribed medications. It is thus unethical and illegal for a provider to prescribe medications without physical assessment of the patient and proper documentation of the patient’s health condition and official prescription form. The medications may lead to adverse health effects that may result in litigation against the prescriber and the pharmacists for prescribing harmful or wrong medications.
Strategies to address disclosure and nondisclosure
Disclosure is an important aspect of communicating to the patient on the possibility of any harm during the healthcare process. Prescription of medications attracts numerous health risks and harms to patients. For the case scenario, the physician may prescribe ineffective or harmful medications, and thus it is ethical to communicate to the patient. According to Russel (2018), disclosure to the patient and their families improves trust, indicating that the healthcare providers care much about the patient’s health. In the event of adversity resulting from an error in prescription, the patient can be allowed to report the progress and in case of adversity to the healthcare provider. The patient may maintain positive communication with the healthcare provider in monitoring the progress of the treatment. Additionally, on establishing adverse effects of the medication, the healthcare provider can communicate with the patient’s guardian or caregiver for error rectification through the phone. The federal law allows disclosure through phones, emails, fax, and others while maintaining confidentiality and privacy standards. According to the Florida law on medication disclosure, the patient and the healthcare provider should be in person, with proper medical record documentation. In case of adverse effects, the friend can only be disclosed through a formal physical encounter for assessment and proper documentation by the responsible or accountable healthcare provider. I would therefore adhere to the Florida law on disclosure.
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