The Invisible Patient follows the life of Jessica Macleod, an NP who works in Evansville, Indiana. One ethical issue faced by MacLeod is the over-prescription of opiates. She is in charge of Patty Sherrill and Wink, an elderly couple who have been prescribed narcotics to manage their arthritis pain. Nonetheless, Patty is not taking her drugs, yet she is still on the opiates prescription. Patty is presumed to give some of her medications to her husband or selling them off. However, MacLeod decides to continue prescribing Patty the narcotics even though the latter is suspected of narcotic diversion.
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (2019), opiate use is a prevalent problem in the USA. The nurse must use wisdom when prescribing the medication. In my case, I would have stooped prescribing the medicines to Patty. The patient is still taking refills, yet none of the drugs appears in her urine screening. Upadhyay et al. (2011) state that in case she is selling the drugs or giving them to her husband, she is bound to cause adverse health complications among the users such as drug dependence, respiratory difficulties, depression, and opiate withdrawal in future.
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Disruptive Innovator
According to Hamric, Hanson, Tracy & O’Grady (2013), traditional health care services are offered in health centers. However, MacLeod delivers her services outside the clinical settings by visiting the patients. A disruptive innovator is one who is ready to break the status quo, and MacLeod prefers to use home visits rather than waiting for patients to present themselves in clinical settings.
Personal Beliefs and Values
I believe that every person must be held responsible for one’s actions. There is no need to break the law to make ends meet. Medicine has several ethical dilemmas. However, my personal beliefs should not stand in the way of making the right decision. Despite Patty’s actions being for the greater good, I would still not help her attain her goals. In order to overcome these barriers, there is a need to always look at the two sides of a coin. The opposing and supporting viewpoints. This will help one in coming up with a definitive choice, even though it is contrary to my biases.
Potential Cost and Benefits
The main cost of this barrier is that I might not end up finding an alternative solution. Mostly, a problem has several solutions, and there is a need for one to use creativity in coming up with a solid final choice. However, the main benefit of my beliefs is that I do not focus more on the past. Medical practice requires one always to become innovative, which eliminates any emotional burnouts.
References
Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (2019, October 18). Opioid overdose. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/drugoverdose/index.html
Hamric, A. B., Hanson, C. M., Tracy, M. F., & O'Grady, E. T. (2013). Advanced Practice Nursing-E-Book: An Integrative Approach . Elsevier Health Sciences.
The Invisible Patient. Retrieved from https://www.pbssocal.org/programs/america-reframed/the-invisible-patients-0c0aaj/
Upadhyay, S. P., Mallick, P. N., Elmatite, W. M., Jagia, M., & Taqi, S. (2011). Dexmedetomidine infusion to facilitate opioid detoxification and withdrawal in a patient with chronic opioid abuse. Indian journal of palliative care , 17 (3), 25
