Analysis: Risks of Patient-Determined Treatment & Risky Medication

This executive memorandum addresses the critical issue of patients determining their own treatment, particularly involving risky medications, without proper medical consultation. It highlights the controversies surrounding over-the-counter drug sales, especially antibiotics, and the potential dangers of inappropriate medication use, including antibiotic resistance. The analysis explores the balance between patient involvement in decision-making and the necessity of physician guidance, referencing studies that show both positive outcomes from patient engagement and risks associated with self-directed treatment. The report recommends stricter enforcement of FDA regulations, responsible drug dispensing practices, and adherence to ethical principles in medical research. Ultimately, it advocates for a balanced approach where patient participation is encouraged within the boundaries of informed medical advice, ensuring safer and more effective healthcare outcomes. Desklib provides students access to similar solved assignments.

Executive Memorandum
To: Fictitious Name or Professor’s Name
From:
Date: Date Submitted
Subject: patient should not determine treatment or taking risky medication
Executive Summary/Purpose
The target audience of this memorandum is the senior executive of the pharmaceutical company.
The purpose of this memorandum is to create awareness among the pharmaceutical companies,
about the sale of the risky medications without the doctor's consent. This report will further give
an idea about the rules and the regulations impose by FDA against the standards of drug
development.
It is estimated that about two third of the medicines are sold without prescriptions and about
70% of them are antibiotic. This inappropriate use of medicine is not only harmful but also
costly. It can lead to several harmful conditions such as antibiotic (Light et al., 2013). This
provides as the rationale and background of this memorandum.
There had been controversies about the sale of some normal medications like aspirin and
paracetamol due to the fact that individuals always do not approach doctors of common fevers
and physical disturbances and often buy over the counter drugs without prescriptions.
This memo will provide an analysis of the positioning statement “patients should not determine
treatment” followed by some useful recommendations.
Analysis
Noteworthy efforts have been made to engage the patients in the decision making process.
According to the studies, it has been found that patients who ask more question or express
apprehension have more affirmative outcomes. There are data that demonstrates involvement of
1 | P a g e

Executive Memorandum
the patient in the decision making by using the decision aids leading to improved knowledge and
decreased decisional conflict. Controlled trials have revealed stronger preferences for the
conservative versus main surgical interventions. According to a population based study , young
women with breast cancer have alleged involvement in the process of decision making in their
surgery that have affected their involvement in the treatment of breast cancer (Seror et al., 2013).
Again a section of patients are passive enough to fully trust the cancer care providers. According
to the paternalistic model, most of the decision is taken by the physician itself, where the
patient's involvement could be lessened consenting to the proposed treatment (Seror et al., 2013).
This paternalistic approach can be harmful as well as beneficial depending upon the mentality of
the patient and the intensity of the problem. Blalock et al., (2016) have argued that patients
should not take risky medications unless not prescribed by physicians. Consuming medications
without doctor’s consent can have serious medical implications. Fraenkel et al., (2017) have
argued that medical treatments are made for a specific reason and each medication has its own
purpose. Patients may often judge the medications by their taste or mid side effects and tend to
discontinue the medications, such as the antidepressants and other psychotic medications. Good
feelings about the medicine may lead the patient to focus on their benefits. These kinds of affects
actually influence the process of decision making.
The principles of informed consent, collaborative approach of decision making emphasizes on
the understanding of risks and benefits of the recommended treatment (Blalock et al., 2016). In
order to accomplish this many countries have taken initiatives to provide patients written
medication information. For example: a medicine for treating hypercholesterolemia might
contain statements “the drug can cause tenderness, muscle pain or weakness". Such information
helps the patients to take decisions.
Recommendations
It is advisable that the medical should not sell any risky medications or antibiotics without the
doctor’s prescription. A patient should of course take part in the process of decision making but
only with the consent of the physician depending upon the intensity of the diseases. FDA should
also be stringent about the laws of Drugs and cosmetics Act 1940 (Yadav & Rawal, 2015). The
poor record keeping of the sale bills, discarding off medicines without valid medical
prescriptions, poor record of the scheduled H1 drugs (Light et al., 2013). Again according to the
Belmont Report, ethical principles should be considered while conducting any biomedical
research or treatment involving human subjects. Hence, any sorts of treatments to a group of
population for the sake of medical research will be made with their consent.
2

Executive Memorandum
Conclusion
Participation of the patient in the decision making process is not a new trend, but has currently
become a political necessity in many health care systems. Improved treatment outcomes has been
associated with patient participation but this patient participation can also bring about some side
effects, such as consumption of risky medications before consultation with the physician and the
random sale of unprescribed drugs over the counter all across the world. Decision making in
health care can bring better outcomes in treatments as it strengthens the therapeutic relationship
between the physician and the patient, which entirely depends on the intensity of the illness.
Hence the laws would allow the decision making in patients only up to a certain level. Further,
rules and regulations should be strengthened regarding the widespread ale of the non prescribed
risky medications.
3 | P a g e

Executive Memorandum
References
Blalock, S. J., Sage, A., Bitonti, M., Patel, P., Dickinson, R., & Knapp, P. (2016).
Communicating information concerning potential medication harms and benefits: What
gist do numbers convey?. Patient education and counseling, 99(12), 1964-1970.
Food and Drug Administration.(2002). 21 CFR § 312.47.Meetings. Retrieved
from:http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/textidx?
c=ecfr&sid=3bc52643c67e715e214e7738033030e3&rgn=div8&view=text&node=21:5.0.
1.1.3.3.1.6&idno=21
Fraenkel, L., Stolar, M., Bates, J. R., Street Jr, R. L., Chowdhary, H., Swift, S., & Peters, E.
(2017). Variability in Affect and Willingness to Take Medication. Medical Decision
Making, 0272989X17727002.
Light, D. W., Lexchin, J., & Darrow, J. J. (2013). Institutional corruption of pharmaceuticals and
the myth of safe and effective drugs.
Seror, V., Cortaredona, S., Bouhnik, A. D., Meresse, M., Cluze, C., Viens, P., ... & Peretti‐Watel,
P. (2013). Young breast cancer patients' involvement in treatment decisions: the major
role played by decision‐making about surgery. Psycho‐Oncology, 22(11), 2546-2556.
Yadav, S., & Rawal, G. (2015). Counterfeit drugs: Problem of developing and developed
countries. Int J Pharmceut Chem Anal, 2(1), 46-50.
4