Provide a concise account of the fundamental legal, ethical and Essay

Provide a concise account of the fundamental legal, ethical and professional practice aspects of nursing drug administration - Essay Example The safe and efficient administration of medication is one of the key responsibilities of the professional nurse. The practice of drug administration involves providing the patient with a substance prescribed and intended for the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a medical illness or condition (Hopkins, 1999). Although, effective drug administration involves the actual and complete conveyance of a prescribed medication to the patient, however, there is wider set of practices required to achieve safe, effective patient outcomes and to prepare for and evaluate the outcome of medication administration (Potter and Anne, 1997; Taylor et al, 1997). Because nurses administer prescribed drugs directly to patients, they happen to be the last link in the safe and effective drug prescription and administration sequence. Increased acuity of the patient nurses have to serve and the apparent reduction in the volume of resources available to nurses to ensure safe and effective practice, have greatly complicated the role of the nurse in drug administration (Cook, 2002). The purpose of this paper is therefore, to examine the legal, ethical and professional requirements of safe nursing drug administration. According to the NMC Guidelines for the Administration of Medicines, administration of medicines is a vital part of the professional duty of the nurse. It is not, however, a function that can be carried out ‘mechanically’ or following orders, but should be seen as a task that must be carried out in strict compliance with the written prescription of a medical practitioner. More importantly, it is task that requires thought and the exercise of professional judgement (NMC, 2002:3). Drug administration play a crucial role in achieving positive patient outcomes and despite the complexities involved with safely administering medications to patients, the professional nurse is duty-bound to do everything within her professional capacity to ensure this. The NMC code of

The American Nursing Association Department of Policy and Nursing Essay

The American Nursing Association Department of Policy and Nursing - Essay Example This functions as the organization’s guideline to its internal decisions on policy, in addition to affecting the world, by contributing valuable policies in the field of nursing. The American Nursing Association also has an impact on the comments that are presented to the federal government. This shows American Nursing Association’s views on the effect of proposed federal policies, guidelines, or regulations on the patients and nurses. The government has cracked the whip on Medicare abuse and fraud. The government is to investigate any claim of fraud, and even a mistake that is honest may lead to a person being charged. APRNs and nurses should be informed of the situation and take the required action to desist from abuse and fraud. On the other hand, American Nursing Association advocates for immigrants to have quality healthcare access, and insurance (American Nurses Association, 2001). This will help reduce the cost of healthcare provision. Health reforms widen access to treatment by giving coverage to those who lack and providing protection from abusers of insurance to those who have. The law provides tremendous additional resources to enable coordination of quality, prevention, and primary care. The new plan will synchronize nurses’ deployment and effective development. The profession, education, and skills of nurses make them crucial contributors to the realization of developing patient-centered models of health delivery that are successfully implemented. Health homes, health clinics managed by nurses, and Accountable Care Organizations are the various methods of care that are coordinated. The key to the realization of innovative and new patient-centered model of health delivery is health reforms (American Nurses Association, 2010).