Pharmacology and Nursing Legal, Ethical, and Safety Principles Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering drug regulation, nursing ethics, scope of practice, controlled substance schedules, and medication administration safety principles.

CMS Part D

The Medicare program section covering prescription medications, which requires formularies to provide at least two medication choices within every drug classification.

Prior Authorization

A utilization management process requiring a provider to submit documentation showing a patient tried other effective alternatives before insurance approves payment for a specific drug.

Step Therapy

A protocol requiring a patient to start with a first-line medication (such as a diuretic for hypertension) and demonstrate it is ineffective before moving up to the next medication class.

Drug Marketing Act

Legislation ensuring marketed drug products are safe and effective, while prohibiting healthcare providers from selling medication samples, counterfeit drugs, or expired drugs.

Rebate Reform

Legislation prohibiting pharmaceutical companies from offering physician incentives (such as trips) for prescribing drugs, shifting rebate benefits directly to consumers as coupons or discounts.

Medicare Insulin Cap

A policy passed by Congress in August 2022 capping out-of-pocket insulin costs at $35 per month for senior citizens on Medicare.

ANA Code of Ethics for Nurses

A professional guide established by the American Nurses Association to ensure all nursing care provided is high quality, safe, and ethical.

Nurse Practice Act

A state-specific statute defining the legal requirements, scope of practice, and professional boundary rules for registered nurses.

Social Determinants of Health

Non-medical circumstances—such as economic status, living situations, age, culture, and sex—that impact a patient's overall health and medication access.

Clinical Judgment Measurement Model

A clinical process used in nursing practice consisting of six steps: recognizing cues, analyzing cues, prioritizing hypotheses, generating solutions, taking action, and evaluating outcomes.

Culturally Congruent Care

Nursing care tailored to align with a patient's individual cultural, spiritual, and religious values, beliefs, and practices.

MedWatch

An FDA program and website where healthcare professionals and patients voluntarily report adverse reactions or unusual side effects caused by medications.

Black Box Warning

The FDA's strongest warning placed on prescription drug labels to highlight severe, life-threatening risks or adverse effects.

Schedule I Controlled Substances

Controlled substances categorized by the DEA as having no accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse, such as heroin and federally regulated marijuana.

Schedule II Controlled Substances

Drugs with recognized medical uses that carry the highest risk for abuse, addiction, and severe physical or psychological dependence, such as morphine, fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamines.

Drug Diversion

The illegal transfer or withholding of prescription drugs from their intended medical purpose, such as a nurse keeping a patient's dose for personal use.

Safety Culture

An organizational environment that encourages staff to report errors openly to fix system flaws rather than punishing individuals.

Two Patient Identifiers

The practice of using two unique data points, typically the patient's full name and date of birth, to confirm identity prior to administering care or medications.

Medication Reconciliation

The formal procedure of compiling and verifying an accurate, complete list of a patient's current medications across care transitions.

Read Back Procedure

A critical safety protocol requiring a nurse to repeat a verbal or telephone physician order word-for-word back to the provider to confirm accuracy.