Controversial Usage of Sedative Medicines: Healthcare Implications

This report delves into the controversial aspects of sedative medicine usage within healthcare, focusing on the ethical and practical implications of its administration. It highlights the specific roles and responsibilities of healthcare professionals, including nurses and anaesthesiologists, in the administration of sedatives, emphasizing the importance of proper training and authorization. The report discusses the negative practices, such as the over-use of sedatives, particularly in mental health care and pain management, and the resulting impact on patient safety and well-being. It also explores the legal and ethical considerations involved, underscoring the need for strict adherence to healthcare regulations, including the Mental Health Care Act and drug abuse acts. The report concludes by emphasizing the need for continuous improvement in healthcare practices, proper training for nurses, and the implementation of non-pharmacological approaches to patient care. It also recommends further research into the impact of sedative usage and the development of evidence-based practices to reduce the negative impacts and controversies surrounding sedative medicine administration.

Running head: CONTROVERSIAL USAGE OF SEDATIVE MEDICINES
CONTROVERSIAL USAGE OF SEDATIVE MEDICINES
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Introduction
Sedative medicines are developed for the induction of the sleep. Hence, the sedative or
the tranquillisers are the compounds which are useful in the case of developing sleep or sedation
among the people with high level of irritation or excitement. However, the usage of the sedatives
is highly specific in terms of medical sector. The anesthesiologists, certified registered nurse
Anesthetists, dentists, physicians and oral surgeons are certified to administer sedatives based on
the requirement. It can be found that the responsibility of the registered nurses includes
medicinal administration based on emergency. However, the registered nurses cannot administer
medicine such sedatives which has drastic side effects over the body of the patients. It has been
found that the sedatives are used in the pain sensation reduction, in case of surgery and also for
the sleeping disorder or stress reduction cases. However, these medicines can only be
implemented by the authorized personnel and not by any nurse without special training regarding
the medication process. However, there are different evidences present regarding the
controversial usage of the sedatives in case of the mental health patients. Hence, in the following
section the controversial factors of the sedative usage will be discussed in details.
Discussion
It has been seen that the nurses with special training regarding the sedative administering
dosage and processes can administer the sedative medicines under the supervision of doctor or
physician. There are possibilities of the physicians of doctors needing help in case of broken
bone repairing process in terms of sedation rate increasing. Thus, the nurses should be educated
and trained regarding this complex process of sedation (Burton, Lowe, Millar, Corfield & Sim,
2019). However, the training of the nurses should also include the mitigation process of the

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adverse effects of the medication. Hence, without all these knowledges the nurses cannot
implement the sedatives for any kind of patients. However, without any supervision of the
authorised personnel the nurses cannot implement any kind of sedatives. Thus, the provision of
the nurses implementing any sedation is limited to low dose and less harming sedatives.
However, these provisions can be used negatively and the legal and ethical factors of nursing can
be breached without proper observation of the supreme entities of the health care system (Cho et
al., 2017). Thus, the regulation of the sedative administration should be checked and the patient
safety should be maintained at any cost. Anaesthesiologists are the personnel who are mostly
capable and certified for the use of the sedatives both intravenous and oral way. Thus, the
supervision or the permission of these personnel should be considered for the sedative
administration. However, the process of the sedative usage has been seen to be increased among
the health care professionals other than the anaesthesiologists. This indicates a controversial
factor which relates to the health care law breaching. The nursing care professionals should not
administer the sedative medicines without any supervision or permission. Hence, the
controversial factor is present in terms of the negative practice related to the specific factor (De
Vries & Plaskota, 2017).
Sedation is also a negative factor in regard to the ethical consideration of nursing process.
It has been seen that the process of the sedation is imposed in the mental health care processes.
The factor of the agitation, anxiety and also the violative movements of the patients controlled
through the process of the sedation. On the other hand, it can eb found that the doctors are
dependent on the nurses in terms of the medication administration process as the doctors are not
available all the time and thus, the nurses are the personnel who are responsible for the primary
care of the patients (Goldsworthy, 2016). Now, the unsupervised process of the medication

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process of the patients with mental disorder has also been evidenced in many incidents. Thus, the
sedation controversies are present in all these cases as the nurses found to be providing improper
dosage to the patients and also affecting the health of the patients. Hence, the process of the care
should be considered with the empathy and also patient safety factors over any other aspects.
However, the unethical practices of the nurses are evidenced in many incidents regarding the
sedative implementation to reduce the distress of the patients and these factors leads to the
aspects of the improper care process following (Greene, 2015). All these factors can be marked
as controversies as there no direct evidences found. However, the instances always showed these
negative practices can be present in the situation. Hence, it can be stated that the process of the
care should be competent and provide with all the concerns about the patient. Moreover, the
factor of the sedative administration the nurses should follow the doctor prescribed processes and
also provide the sedatives to the patients under the supervision of the doctors or other experts
(Lin et al., 2017). The factor of the sedative implementation should be practices by the
anaesthetic professionals and not by the nurses. In order to reduce the negative impact of the
sedative usage and the controversial factor of this practice the purpose of the study should focus
on the effective knowledge development and also training of the nurses to follow the proper
process. Untrained nurses should not be provided with the access to the sedative drugs and also
the reduction of the access of the sedatives to the patients also needed to be considered with
proper efficacy. However, the aspect of the controversy is present in a period of time in many
countries (Long & Stewart, 2020). Thus, the factor cannot be neglected and also should be
considered with higher priority to be reduced as the patient safety and the care competences are
being breached by these practices. On the other hand, the health care law and regulations should
be strictly implemented in order to reduce the factor of the usage of the sedative medicines

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among the nursing practitioners. Many practitioners stated that the use of the sedatives is safe for
the care process and also for the patients. However, the aspect of the safety by this negative
practice can be marked if the patient is out of control and the chemical restraint is needed.
Although the usage of the sedative is strictly advised by the doctor and also supervised by the
doctor. Hence, the use of the sedative as a means of reducing the violation of the patients can be
marked as the safety measures (Nash, McDonagh, Culhane, Noone & Higgins, 2018). However,
the factor of the usage of the sedative medicines for avoiding the duties cannot be marked as the
process of the nursing care. Thus, the aspect of the care should not be affected by all these
negative practices. Thus, the nurses should be educated and trained regarding this complex
process of sedation (Rodrigues, Crokaert & Gastmans, 2018). However, the training of the
nurses should also include the mitigation process of the adverse effects of the medication. Hence,
without all these knowledges the nurses cannot implement the sedatives for any kind of patients.
However, without any supervision of the authorised personnel the nurses cannot implement any
kind of sedatives. Thus, the provision of the nurses implementing any sedation is limited to low
dose and less harming sedatives. However, these provisions can be used negatively and the legal
and ethical factors of nursing can be breached without proper observation of the supreme entities
of the health care system. Thus, the regulation of the sedative administration should be checked
and the patient safety should be maintained at any cost. Anaesthesiologists are the personnel who
are mostly capable and certified for the use of the sedatives both intravenous and oral way. Thus,
the supervision or the permission of these personnel should be considered for the sedative
administration.
The controversy is also developed due to the aspects of the practice of several
anaesthesiologists as they developed the anaesthesia and also the sedation process so easy that

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the nurses also practice the process freely. Now, the over use of the sedatives can be marked as
the controversial aspect as well. Thus, it can be stated that the process of the reduction of this
negative and the controversial process should be considered by the government with higher
priority (Sasson, James, Wubshet, Todorov & Cohen, 2017). The aspect of the care should be
developed with the proper nursing competences. However, the aspect of the care should be
developed with the positive regulation and also the legal factors for the reduction of the negative
practices. The factors of the improvement in the situation it can be stated that the reduction of the
over usage of the sedatives in the mental health nursing or the pain management factors as well.
It has been seen that the process of the mental health care is dependent on the process of
the nursing knowledge and the skills as well. However, the ethical considerations of the nurses
are also impact over the health care competences. Thus, the process of the mental health nursing
should be considering the health outcome of the patients over the situational management
through the implementation of the sedatives (Schönenberger et al., 2016). Thus, it can be stated
that the process of the health care regarding the mental health or other issues should be provided
with non-pharmacological processes. The non-pharmacological aspects of the care would be
found with better impact over the health and without any kind of negative impacts as well. Thus,
the sedative based care should be reduced as this affect the health condition of the people in
several negative ways. Hence, the controversy of the sedative usage by the nurses should be
considered with higher priority and also proper research should be conducted to develop proper
evidences regarding the practice. However, the training and the education to the nurses for the
reduction of the usage of these processes should be implemented as well. The ethical factors and
the Mental Health Care Act 2014 should be strictly implemented and the Drug Abuse Act also
should be implemented for the reduction of the negative practices. Thus, it can be stated that the

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factors of the usage of the sedative drugs should not be use as the regular practice and also
negative factors regarding this process should be investigated. The negative practice should be
reduced by the implementation of the strict actions against the improper sedative implementation
by the nurses without any authority. The aspect of the care should be developed with the proper
nursing competences. However, the aspect of the care should be developed with the positive
regulation and also the legal factors for the reduction of the negative practices. The factors of the
improvement in the situation it can be stated that the reduction of the over usage of the sedatives
in the mental health nursing or the pain management factors as well. It has been seen that the
process of the mental health care is dependent on the process of the nursing knowledge and the
skills as well (Twycross, 2017). However, the ethical considerations of the nurses are also impact
over the health care competences.
Conclusion
Based on the above discussion it can be concluded that the process of the mental health or
pain management care by the nurses have been found with negative practices of the sedative over
use. This process can be marked as a controversy as the nurses are not authorised without
specific training and proper knowledge about the aspect of the sedative usage. It can also be
found that the process of the sedative implementation by the nurses are increasing and it should
be checked and controlled with proper measures by the government and the health care system.
Thus, it can be stated that the proper investigation regarding this practice and also the impact of
the sedative usage over the patients should be conducted. Based on the research data proper
policy and regulations should be developed. Thus, it can be stated that the change in the situation
should be considered with priority and the nurses should be educated and trained with the proper
competences of the sedative usage.

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