Prescription | The Health Law Firm Blog

Nurses: Protect Yourself Against Medication Errors

Nurses face a busy schedule often including a long list of patients and extensive work hours. As a result, they can become overworked and overtired, which may lead to a higher risk of making a mistake when administering medication.

An Institute of Medicine (IOM) report titled To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System (IOM, Dec. 1999) states the deaths from medication errors that take place both in and out of hospitals, more than 7,000 annually, exceed those from workplace injuries. In a separate report, investigation by the Chicago-Tribune states that since 1995, at least 1,720 hospital patients have died and 9,548 others have been injured because of mistakes made by RN’s across the country (Associated Press, Sept. 10, 2000).

Because nurses usually are […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:54-04:00May 15, 2018|Medication, Patient Care, Prescription|

The “Seven Rights” of Patient Medication

There is a checklist every nurse should learn called the “Seven Rights of Medication.” If this checklist is memorized and followed in every case, medication errors would be significantly reduced or eliminated altogether. Every nurse and nursing student should memorize this list and go through it in her mind every time a patient is administered a medication by the nurse. Always check for and confirm:

1. The right medication;

2. The right patient;

3. The right dose;

4. The right time;

5. The right route;

6. The right reason; and

7. The right documentation.

Adminstering medication is one of the major areas that an overworked nurse is at risk for making a mistake. Be sure to remember the items on this checklist, especially if you are feeling rushed. Taking […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:54-04:00May 15, 2018|Medication, Patient Care, Prescription|

Nurses Fight for Lawmakers to Relax Laws Requiring Doctors to Oversee Their Work

By Carole C. Schriefer, R.N., J.D., The Health Law Firm and George F. Indest, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

There’s a controversial tug-of-war in the health care industry. According to The Washington Post, in 11 states nursing groups are pushing legislation that would permit nurses with master’s degrees or higher to order and interpret diagnostic tests, prescribe medications and administer treatments without the supervision of a physician. Similar legislation is likely to be introduced in three other states. Currently, each state decides how much supervision nurses must receive from physicians.

This legislation faces strong opposition from physicians, led by the American Medical Association (AMA). […]

By The Health Law Firm|2024-03-14T10:01:58-04:00May 15, 2018|CRNA, Nurse Practitioner, Patient Care, Prescription|