Case Study : My Summer Pharmacy Internship

Patients have the right to self-determination and individuals should have control over their own lives. With respect for human autonomy comes respect for patient rights. Apart of the nurses job is to promote, advocate and protect the rights, health, and safety of our patients. Patients have the right to determine their health needs, make informed decisions, and the right to information regarding their treatment and also the refusal of treatment. Nurses are obligated to know the rights of a patient and to make sure the patient understands their treatment plan. Supporting patient autonomy includes making decisions in the best interest of the patient, considering their values and recognizing differences between cultures. In the treatment

Intravenous drug use is a dangerous, yet increasing activity around the world. Persons who inject themselves with illicit drugs are at risk for several complications such as infection caused by contaminated needles. These infections can be serious and often lead to hospitalization as well as other health-related complications. A situation that often arises is determining the best type of treatment for IV drug users who are being discharged from the hospital. Physicians and pharmacists are commonly faced with choosing outpatient IV antibiotic therapy versus oral antibiotics when treating infections caused by IV drug use. This presents an ethical dilemma, particularly concerning the ethical principles of beneficence and

Autonomy includes three primary conditions: (1) liberty (independence from controlling influences), (2) agency (capacity for intentional action), and (3) understanding (through informed consent) (Beauchamp & Childress, 2009, p. 100). According to Beauchamp & Childress (2009) to respect autonomous agents, one must acknowledge their right to hold views, to make choices, and to take actions based on their personal values and beliefs (p. 103). Respect for autonomy implies thaturges caregivers to respect theassist a patient in achieving? Heed? the autonomous choices of their patients. From there, patients can act intentionally and with full understanding when evaluating medical treatment modalities. Autonomy also includes a set of rules, one of which requires that providers honor patient decision-making rights by providing the truth, also known as veracity (Beauchamp & Childress, 2009, p. 103). In this case, several facets of the principle of respecting autonomy, specifically veracity, informed

While I was on my clinical rotation at Wal-Mart, I counseled a patient on her Warfarin prescription. During this rotation, I was doing most of the counsels under the direct supervision of the pharmacist. This particular experience, however, stood out from the rest of the consultations because she seemed very angry when picking up the medicine. I approached her and was prepared to deal with an angry patron. I started counseling her regarding her medication and she stated, “don’t worry, it doesn’t work anyway. My INR keeps going down even though they are upping the dose, and nobody cares about it.” This really raised a red flag with me because of the class of medication this is. I informed her that we cared and asked her what I could do to help her.

The term “medical ethics” is defined by The American Medical Association as “(1) moral principles or practices and (2) matters of social policy involving issues of morality in the practice of medicine.” The nine principles of medical ethics as outlined by the AMA tell how a physician should conduct themselves in the profession, the third and fourth of which states “(3) A physician shall respect the law and also recognize a responsibility to seek changes in those requirements which are contrary to the best interests of the patient. (4) A physician shall respect the rights of patients, colleagues, and other health professionals, and shall safeguard patient confidences and privacy within the constraints of the

Autonomy stresses that everyone has the right to decide what happens to his or her own body. This legal right requires that doctors must receive consent prior to treating a patient. Doctors must

Informed consent is defined as “permission granted in the knowledge of the possible consequences” and is the backbone to honorable physician patient interactions. Unfortunately, throughout history there have been many cases where physicians have used a patient’s lower socioeconomic status to manipulate the obtaining of informed consent. The AMA Code of Medical Ethics predates back to 1847, yet cases continue to arise directly breaking their key principles. These principles include autonomy, justice, beneficence, non-maleficence; and if followed ensure patients receive a high quality of care. Informed consent prior to any participation in experiments or procedures is essential for physicians to act within these guidelines. Autonomy allows patients to have free will and make decisions without coercion. Justice keeps all individuals in mind so resources are distributed fairly and all individuals are treated the same. Beneficence and Non-maleficence focus on the intent of the procedure to do only good and no harm. Even with these principles established there are discrepancies in on how they unfold in a clinical setting. The American Medical Association states physicians should assess their patient’s understanding of their medical condition, the recommended treatments, and document the physician-patient interaction. The Tuskegee, Abdullah vs Pfizer, and The Skid Row Cancer Studies are a few cases where these principles were ignored so physician and big pharmaceutical

Participant was informed that the team is concerned with his ability to remain safe in the community. Participant has been engaging in risky behaviors that endanger him, staff as well as the continuation of his waiver services. Participant has been obtaining marijuana illegally from unknown sources despite his ability to obtain marijuana legally for medicinal purposes.

Pharmacy technician requirements in Texas are straight forward. You must have a high school diploma or its equivalent, must meet the TSBP requirements for criminal history; including fingerprints. You must also pass the Pharmacy Technician Certification Examination (PTCB), and complete the TSBP application and pay all the required fees. Once you have your state credentials, renewal is a must every two years. Along with your registration you will need to acquire 20 hours of continued education.

Patient autonomy is respected, the accounting of the patients “best interest” is highly factored, the prevention of further or current harm is prioritized and finally resource and care distribution including legal precedents are considered in the ethical framework of paramedicine, unordered and all encompassed in the duty of “prima facie” – decisions

Are drug users people too? The health and safety of all people is crucial. It’s important keeping drug dependent people free of HIV this prevents its spread to their partners and their children. In order to provide necessary care, free sterilized needles should be given to drug users. The public should be advised of positive effects of needle exchange programs and warned of the risks of not supplying adequate syringes. The provocative idea of giving drug addicts clean needles to help slow the spread of HIV/AIDS was first broached in 1985. This concept has been under research ever since. Harm reduction approaches for those who inject drugs, including the distribution of clean needles and syringes, are proven interventions to prevent transmission of HIV and other blood-borne viruses, and are recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other leading public health agencies.

Autonomy is more than a bioethical principle that promotes an individual’s ability to choose their own life path. It is a concept that varies by kind and by degrees. While Western medicine holds patient autonomy as a right, every right has its limitations. One such constraint on an individual’s autonomy, is the individual deciding whether or not to take a medication for their mental illness. This was the case for one of Dr. Brendel’s patients, “Lisa.” In this essay, I suggest that even though Lisa is depressed, Lisa made an autonomous decision to take her medication; and if she refused to take her medication, I would not obtain a court order.

Referring the patient to another willing pharmacist certainly does not remove the pharmacist from the causal chain of events that leads to the use of EC, an act that is often considered morally wrong by such objecting pharmacists. Supporters of pharmacists’ right to conscientious objection such as Karen Bauer, hold that such medical treatment violates the Hippocratic Oath by doing harm to human life. Brauer defends pharmacists’ rights to refuse to dispense medications themselves as well as to refuse to dispense medications themselves as well as to refuse to refer customers to other willing pharmacists. Brauner holds this position because she believes that referring customers makes no intrinsic moral difference… A staunch defender of pharmacists’ right to conscientious objection clearly sees no ethical difference between dispensing the

A negative can be the inconsistency of human nature. Yes, Walmart’s idea is different and supportive, but the individuals might not want others to know that they are addicted, so they go about disposing the drugs in their normal means. Once an individual is keen on doing something a certain way, they are liable to continue in the same manner.

This leads to an increase in criminal activity such as neglect of familial duties, robberies to fund their dependency, and violence to defend their habits. The ‘drugee’ becomes a nuisance to society. Some become homeless and exhibit poor health habits such as malnutrition and tooth decay. Other negative effects include the transference of diseases because of needle sharing. Though drug use is a personal choice, the effects on the rest of society are undeniable. The best intentions are formulated on a personal level, but this is overcastted by its negative effects. This argument, however, is a bit one-sided because the reason for using and dependency varies between users.