Posted: July 8th, 2016

Ethical implications of prescribing narcotics.

prescribing narcotics

Patients frequently present with complaints of pain, such as chronic back pain. They often seek medical care with the intent of receiving drugs to manage the pain. Typically, for this type of pain, narcotic drugs are often prescribed.

As the advanced practice nurse prescribing the drugs, this can pose challenges for you. While there is a process for evaluating back pain, assessing the intensity of a patient’s pain can be difficult because pain is a subjective experience.

Only the person experiencing the pain truly knows whether there is a need for drug treatments. As the prescriber, it is important to watch for red flags and warning signs of abuse.

In this Discussion, you explore the ethical implications of prescribing narcotics to patients with chronic back pain.