Disclaimer: The tips on this page are provided for general educational purposes and are not legal advice. Practitioners should consult their malpractice insurance company for specific risk management advice.
Informed consent
– Document a discussion of both common side effects and potentially serious side effects (even if uncommon)
– Giving the patient written material about the medication is not a substitute for conducting an informed consent discussion.
Prescription pads
– Strongly consider using e-prescribing rather than paper prescriptions.
– If using paper prescriptions, use only tamper-proof prescription pads
– If using paper prescription pads, keep them in a locked cabinet or desk since cleaning staff or others may have access to your office
Prescribing controlled substances
– Before prescribing, check in your state’s prescription drug monitoring program to see if the patient has received prescriptions for controlled substances elsewhere
– Keep a record of prescriptions dispensed
– On the prescription, write the number of pills to be dispensed in both numbers and words
– Consider writing the milligram strength of the pills in both numbers and words
Medications in persons at higher risk of suicide
In patients are higher risk of overdosing on medications:
1. Consider dispensing only one or two weeks’ worth of medication at a time.
2. Identify a specific family member who will keep the medication locked up and will dispense it to the medication one day or one week at a time, as appropriate.
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Disclaimer: The content on this website is provided as general education for medical professionals. It is not intended or recommended for patients or other laypersons or as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Patients must always consult a qualified health care professional regarding their diagnosis and treatment. Healthcare professionals should always check this website for the most recently updated information.
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