Choose one topic from the following list and evaluate how the chosen topic impacts your role as an advanced practice nurse. What are the legal implications related to your role?

The legal issues that an Advanced Practice Nurse faces in her workplace

One of my responsibilities as an advanced-practice nurse is to protect patient privacy. As a healthcare professional, patient privacy is a legal concern. It involves protecting confidential information from unauthorised access and use. In order to provide safe, quality healthcare while also protecting our patients’ rights, it is important that I am familiar with all the laws and regulations relating to privacy. Understanding the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which establishes guidelines on how to handle protected health information (PHI), is part of this. In addition, I should be knowledgeable about any local or state laws that apply regarding HIPAA and security measures. For example, I would need to encrypt data stored on devices when it is being protected by PHI. By staying informed of relevant regulations, I can better protect my patients’ private information while also avoiding potential legal consequences should a breach occur.

It is my choice to assess how the management of medications impacts on my role as a nurse practitioner. The management of medications is an important part of providing quality patient care. There are also many legal implications. As an advanced-practice nurse, I am responsible for ensuring that the medication prescribed to patients is safe, appropriate and follows established standards. In order to do so, I need to be aware of potential interactions or contraindications between medications and certain conditions. Additionally, it is important that I actively monitor my patients’ response to treatment so I can make adjustments as needed to ensure the best possible outcomes. Also, I must stay informed about the latest laws and regulations regarding medication administration to ensure that I’m always compliant. Finally, proper documentation is necessary for every step of the process which helps me protect myself from potential liability if something were to go wrong with a patient’s medication regimen.