I am replying to my peer’s post on APRNs and Malpracticeractice

Week 9 Discussion: APRNs and Malpractice

1. Dashboard
2. My courses
3. NU-668-03-23PCFA
4. Week 9: Legal Perspective: Malpractice
5. Week 9 Discussion: APRNs and Malpractice

Completion requirements

To do:Make forum posts: 2

Value: 100 points

Due: In an effort to facilitate scholarly discourse, create your initial post by Day 3, and reply to two of your classmates by Day 7.

Grading Category: Discussions

Initial Post

Review Tables 29.1 and 29.2 in the Joel textbook (2022) and compare APRN adverse events and malpractice claims to MDs in your state of practice. Identify the differences, explain why you think there is a difference, and discuss how malpractice suits affect patient access.

Reply Posts

Reply to at least two of your classmates—from different states if possible—after reviewing the information provided in the initial post and comparing your state stats. Address some of the problems, if any, with the current malpractice legal system related to malpractice.

Please refer to the Grading Rubric for details on how this activity will be graded and incorporate these guidelines in your discussion. The grading for the number of reply posts is based on individual Discussion Board instructions. If the rubric indicates a different number for reply posts, you will not be graded down as long as you have followed the reply post instructions.

For this assignment to be considered complete, you must address all the prompts—including how malpractice suits affect patient access to care, comparing APRN to MD adverse events in your state, noting what differences there are, and discussing why there may be differences—by Day 3 and reply to two classmates, addressing some of the problems with the current malpractice legal system by Day 7.

This is my peer’s post

Re: Week 9 Discussion: APRNs and Malpractice

by Kayla Gilmore – Tuesday, 24 October 2023, 11:37 PM

     Advanced Practice Nurses given the nature of their work are at high risk for malpractice claims. As Advanced Practice Nurses are given more opportunity in states for the allowance of independent practice there has been an increase in malpractice claims while we are also seeing a reduction in recent years in the number of malpractice claims brought against physicians (Joel, 2022, p. 499). It is not possible to indicate the number of claims that have been filed but the National Practitioner Data Bank tracks the number of verdicts and settlements that have been issued. The goal of this tracking is in an effort to improve quality of care by indicating trends in malpractice and adverse events organized by profession and state as well as a number of other key elements (Joel, 2022, p.499).

     According to the National Practitioner Data Bank Colorado was below the national average for both adverse event and malpractice totals for physicians between 2010-2019 (NPDB, 2019). Regarding adverse event and malpractice totals of Advanced Practice Nurses Colorado was slightly below national average for adverse event and slightly above for malpractice (NPDB, 2019). In the state of Colorado Advanced Practice Nurses have full prescriptive authority and the ability to practice independently without oversight of a physician which began in the year 2009 when legislation passed (Health District of Northern Larimer County, 2015). Since then, these numbers have risen and I would only assume this is relevant to the number of APRNs who are practicing independently and the rapid increase in patients utilizing APRNs for their health care providers. In this time there has also been a decrease in the number of physicians in practice and we see across the country physician shortages. APRN’s continue to advance their education and work to serve as nurse leaders to improve quality care measures and reduce these numbers. It is also imperative that as an APRN one needs to hold their own personal liability insurance to protect oneself from situations in which a malpractice claim is brought against them.

References:

Health District of Northern Larimer County (2015). Staff: Dan Sapienza POLICY BRIEF/ANALYSIS PREPARED FOR THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS SB15-197 -ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES PRESCRIPTIVE AUTHORITY Concerning the prescriptive authority of advanced practice nurses. https://www.healthdistrict.org/sites/default/files/legislative-analyses/sb15-19720aprns.pdf

Joel, L. A. (2022). Advanced practice nursing: Essentials for role development (5th ed). F. A. Davis Company.

The NPDB – Data Analysis Tool. (2019). Hrsa.gov. https://www.npdb.hrsa.gov/analysistool/