Ethical and Legal Considerations in Comprehensive Patient Assessment- A New FNP’s Approach with ML Responding to Tina West

Ethical and Legal Considerations in Comprehensive Patient Assessment- A New FNP’s Approach with ML Responding to Tina West

Hello Tina,

This is a great post. Your comprehensive and patient-centered approach to ML’s case reflects a commendable commitment to ethical principles and legal standards. Your emphasis on alternative pain management strategies and the implementation of a pain contract aligns with the overarching goal of minimizing risks associated with medication use, which is crucial in ensuring ML’s safety. To further enrich the holistic assessment, consider incorporating a collaborative care approach. Involving other healthcare professionals, such as physical therapists, psychologists, or pain management specialists, could provide a more comprehensive perspective on ML’s needs (AHRQ, 2020). Interprofessional collaboration fosters diverse insights, contributing to a more robust and patient-centered care plan that addresses ML’s health’s physical and psychosocial aspects.

Furthermore, while you rightly mentioned screening for depression, integrating mental health support into ML’s care plan could be pivotal. Collaborating with a mental health professional or incorporating behavioral interventions could prove beneficial in managing not only ML’s chronic pain but also potential coexisting mental health concerns, promoting a more holistic approach to her well-being (Ee et al., 2020; Reist et al., 2022).

In conjunction with the CURES database, integrating health information exchange (HIE) platforms, when accessible, offers a broader perspective on ML’s medical history. This augmentation facilitates the identification of undisclosed medications or diagnoses, enhancing the precision of her overall health assessment. Your unwavering commitment to patient safety is palpable, and a more comprehensive and personalized approach is achieved by incorporating collaborative and mental health components into ML’s care plan. This multifaceted strategy recognizes the intricacies of ML’s healthcare requirements, promoting a holistic understanding that extends beyond conventional data repositories. Embracing these supplementary dimensions ensures a well-rounded framework for addressing ML’s nuanced healthcare needs.

References

AHRQ. (2020). Integrated Pain Management Programs | Effective Health Care Program. Effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov. https://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/products/integrated-pain-management/protocol

Ee, C., Lake, J., Firth, J., Hargraves, F., de Manincor, M., Meade, T., Marx, W., & Sarris, J. (2020). An integrative, collaborative care model for people with mental illness and physical comorbidities. International Journal of Mental Health Systems, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-020-00410-6

Reist, C., Petiwala, I., Latimer, J., Raffaelli, S. B., Chiang, M., Eisenberg, D., & Campbell, S. (2022). Collaborative mental health care: A narrative review. Medicine, 101(52). https://doi.org/10.1097/md.0000000000032554