Pharmacology Paper
Develop a response for a patient who chronically requests refills on his/her opioid prescription. Be sure to include ethical, legal, and/or professional standards to support your response.
Sample Answer
A refill may not be appropriate since it has not been recommended by the healthcare professional and is only issued as a request and has become an issue of concern. Opioid prescription is controlled by ethical, legal, and professional standards. As a healthcare professional, I have to ensure that the refill of the prescription is really necessary to reduce the risk of addiction associated with opiates. To make a refill, more updates on the current medical state and progress are required to determine whether the prescription is necessary based on progress made and the appropriateness of the refill based on assessment on the risk of addiction to the medication. To ensure that an appropriate decision about the refill is made, collaboration with other healthcare providers may be required to ensure proper consultation and make an informed decision on the continuity of the prescription.
As a healthcare provider, I am guided by various ethical standards in providing a prescription. The standards include the principle of beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, and respect for autonomy (Kotalik, 2012). Lack of a suggestion for a refill from the healthcare provider is a sign that the indication for opioid prescription is weak; hence drug-free management techniques such as non-pharmacological interventions or use of other prescriptions such as ibuprofen should be utilized (Rieder, 2017). Making a refill at this point may be against the principle of non-maleficence by causing harm due to the high risk of abuse. Following the principle of beneficence, I would recommend an ibuprofen prescription to ensure that I show justice. Respect for autonomy can only be fulfilled after obtaining medical reports that show there are no safety issues.
In accordance with the existing clinical guidelines, a drug test will be required to facilitate decision-making on whether a refill should be made. It will also be appropriate to check with the PDMD to ensure that the correct dose of the prescription is being issued and to rule out the possibility of the patient having multiple suppliers.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016). This will require a review of the medical history and the relevant information to ensure that there are no risks. Coordinated care will be a possibility to enhance safety and better health outcomes. To make a refill, all the possibilities must be considered to ensure that there is no risk that might compromise the health status in terms of recovery and risk of addiction that may not have been detected.
There are various causes of action that may be taken apart from making a refill. All courses of action to be taken, however, do not compromise health and safety; hence there should be no issue of concern. Personal views and concerns will be addressed adequately before a final decision is made. Adequate follow-up will be implemented to ensure that issues of concern will be addressed. This may include clinical visits after a week and phone calls in case of any changes that may be noted. Revising the treatment plan and assessing the medical records will ensure that all factors are considered. Major factors to be considered include legal restrictions such as the period of providing the prescriptions recommended interventions for managing the health condition, risk of abuse and addiction, and the recovery progress made, which determines indication for the prescriptions. There is the freedom to make all the necessary inquiries concerning any changes made.
