Assignment Guidelines
Part I
Your patient comes into the office one week after surgery. He complains that he is not sleeping well due to pain from the surgery. When you ask what he is taking for the pain, he explains that when he went to get his prescriptions filled the pharmacist told him the drugs were opiates. He has heard about opiates on the news. He did not get the prescriptions filled because he did not want to get “hooked” on anything. This patient has no history of substance abuse.
What do you say to this patient?
What do you recommend that your patient do for his pain?
Part II
Another patient who is also post-op comes to your office with his meds. The surgeon prescribed Norco for the post-op pain. This patient explains that his stepson has a substance abuse problem. While taking the drugs for pain, the medication bottle was stored in a safe spot within his and his wife’s bedroom. Now that he has no need for the drugs, he wants you to take them because he does not want them in his house.
Are you allowed to take the drugs from the patient?
What is National Take Back Day? Find out when and where it is in your community.
What should the patient do with the drugs?
Part III
Many states are implementing programs and laws to attempt to control the opioid epidemic. Washington state, for example, has adopted laws to govern the opioid-prescribing habits of practitioners. (The laws that apply to nurse practitioners are WAC 246-840-460 to WAC 246-840-493. You can Google them if you are interested.)
One Washington state law offers nurse practitioners specific instructions for evaluating patients. Read this Washington State law and answer the following questions:
You know how to approach a patient with chronic pain. Does the information in this law add to your knowledge?
In your opinion, should the government dictate how health care professionals practice?
Do you believe that laws such as this will have an impact on the opioid epidemic?
What are the consequences of the laws in Washington state concerning health care providers?
What are the consequences of the laws in Washington state concerning patients with chronic pain?
Please cite your references using APA style.