Roles of Advanced Nurse Practitioners in Prescribing Medication

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Roles and Responsibilities of the APRN When Prescribing Medication

It is the responsibility of the ANPs to take the complete history of their patients. They are also supposed to examine them physically. ANPs are allowed to prescribe medications for clients. However, they need to have a master's education to have enough clinical experience to diagnose and treat patients (Spetz, 2021). Nurses are expected to collaborate with other healthcare workers so that there can be positive patient outcomes. In order to form a differential diagnosis for a patient, an advanced nurse practitioner can ask for a different diagnostic test. It is the responsibility of the APN to be involved in research so that in order to use evidence-based practice. When a person does research, they are also able to have an impact on others. Research also makes one have good clinical judgment. When prescribing, the nurse needs to consider the cost of the drugs.

Method Used To Determine What Drug Therapy to Prescribe

The method used to determine what drug therapy to prescribe is rational prescribing. The latter is an approach that includes several steps. The first step is diagnosis. The decisions made when prescribing should depend on the primary diagnosis and other secondary diagnoses that are important. When assessing the benefits and harm of the medicines, it is vital to remember that diagnoses get sometimes made with some level of uncertainty (Brunet, 2022). The second step is prognosis. The prognosis of both the primary and secondary diagnoses has an impact on the choices of rational treatment. When a secondary diagnosis has a poor prognosis, the pros of treating a primary one will be limited. The other step is to state the goals of the therapy. For example, it could be to either cure a disease or relieve symptoms. Also, it could be both to cure and relieve the symptoms. The next step is to select the most appropriate treatment. The effects of the treatment on the patient should get monitored.

Responsibilities for Patient Education and Teaching Based On the Prescribed Therapy

The responsibility of patient education and teaching is to explain the therapy prescribed. The patient should be made to understand the purpose and importance of the medications. It is also crucial for them to know the side effects of the therapy. Patient education also makes it possible for the nurse to demonstrate proper techniques. Providers should ensure that their clients understand how to administer their medications, and if there are any procedures, the patient should be able to do them well (Mailey, 2022). Patient education is also meant to promote the skills of self-management. Patient teaching is also an opportunity to evaluate the understanding of the patient. The use of open-ended questions is one strategy for evaluating the knowledge of the patient. If possible, the healthcare workers should provide written materials that the patients can use as their point of reference. These materials include handouts and pamphlets.

Schedule Drugs and Prescribing Restrictions for Each Scheduled Drug

The schedule drugs range from schedule one to five. Those in schedule I have the highest potential of being misused (Preuss, 2019). That means that they do not have any medical importance. In other words, they are commonly used in the streets. Those drugs in schedule II have a lower potential for being misused compared to schedule I drugs. Schedule III has lower misuse potential than Schedule I and II. Schedule IV has a limited risk of physical dependence. Schedule IV drugs are controlled, and they are unlikely to be misused. Despite the fact that they are not likely to be abused, they still need to be carefully administered.

References

Brunet, N., Moore, D. T., Lendvai Wischik, D., Mattocks, K. M., & Rosen, M. I. (2022). Increasing buprenorphine access for veterans with opioid use disorder in rural clinics using telemedicine. Substance Abuse, 43(1), 39-46.

Mailey, E. L., Besenyi, G. M., & Durtschi, J. (2022). Mental health practitioners represent a promising pathway to promote park-based physical activity. Mental Health and Physical Activity, 22, 100439.

Preuss, C. V., Kalava, A., & King, K. C. (2019). Prescription of controlled substances: benefits and risks.

Spetz, J., Chapman, S., Tierney, M., Phoenix, B., & Hailer, L. (2021). Barriers and facilitators of advanced practice registered nurse participation in medication treatment for opioid use disorder: A mixed methods study. Journal of Nursing Regulation, 12(2), 5–22.