Clinical Decision-Making Process in Regards to Drug Therapy for the Elderly Essay

Clinical Decision Making Process in Regards to Drug Therapy for the Elderly

The objective of this study is to examine how an undergraduate student nurse would use the clinical decision-making process in regards to drug therapy for the elderly. Included will be issues and considerations for clients from different cultural and indigenous groups. The nurse role is significantly involved in the preparation and administration of medications and therapeutic substances in elderly care.

Professional Legal and Ethical Implications of Medication Administration

It is reported that laws on administration of medication "vary from state to state." (Hauswirth, 2012) While doctors, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and nurses are "generally trained and authorized to administer medical, however, other medical disciplines are reported to be limited in administration of medications except in specific situations such as in residential care settings. It is also reported that the distribution of and access to medications that are able to be abused or those referred to as controlled substances are restricted by state and federal laws.

II. Quality Use of Medicines in Process of Ensuring Safe Patient Outcomes

It is reported that most adults over 65 years of age use medications and 39% of those take five or more medications and approximately 90% use over the counter medications.35% of the elderly experience adverse drug errors with nearly 50% of those errors being preventable. Safety measures to improve the safety of geriatric medication includes:

(1) "always double-checking "high-alert drugs" -- those medications that have an increased risk of causing harm to patients when used in error -- by doing independent calculations;

(2) Allowing time between re-checks is a strategy that allows health-care professionals to find their own errors;

(3) Eliminating the use of specific abbreviations can also narrow the margin for error. As a bottom line, health-care professionals should write out the words when preparing prescriptive orders instead of using frequently mistaken symbols and abbreviations." (Family Nurse Practitioner, 2012)

III. Factors In Administration of Medication to Elderly

Factors involved in administration of medications in the elderly include the patient's diet, renal function, ability to take medications orally, as well as other factors related to the patient's health status including cardiovascular changes and specifically the reduction in the hearts elasticity and the aorta and great arteries compliance. The result is a higher systolic arterial pressure in addition to "impedance to….....