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What Nurses Should Know About Administering “New Drugs”

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2021

Extract

Nurses often administer drugs to patients for treatment and research purposes, at the direction of physicians, without knowing their legal responsibilities. Following a doctor's orders is not an adequate defense for a nurse against a lawsuit based on the administration of a drug not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); administration of a drug approved by the FDA, but approved only for a different purpose; or administration of a drug without the informed consent of a patient. Considerable confusion exists about a nurse's legal obligations in administering “new drugs,” and the purpose of this article is to provide some clarity.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 1980

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