Legislative Letter
Dear Senator (Name),
My name is (your name). I am a nursing student. The objective of writing to you is to request for your support in enhancing the functions of House Bill 21 that apply in several states such as Florida and Michigan. Although the current legislation restricts opioids supply for acute pain to three days, there is a need for adjustments. The changes would increase the participation of physicians in drug monitoring programs for the opioid prescription to ensure compliance with the prescription law. Therefore, it is essential to increase the funding of these programs to ensure their continuity and promote the participation of health care practitioners.
According to Burkhardt and Nathaniel (2019), opioids are the only analgesia used on many occasions to relieve severe pain. However, it can lead to dependence and speed up death among terminally ill patients. Given the ethical duty bestowed on nurses of nonmaleficence while managing pain, it can be challenging when prescribing opioids to patients. It is this reason that I advocate for a proposal that aims at having adequate finances advanced to drug monitoring programs. Subsequently, it would result in positive health outcomes. Similarly, the ease created through functional programs would alleviate the moral distress and burnout among nurses caused by the multidimensional aspects of caring for patients, controlling pain and substance use (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2019). In the long run, health care professionals will adopt a habit of regulating the prescription of opioids and incorporate nonpharmacological strategies of pain relief.
I plead with you to push and support the allocation of adequate financial resources to the drug monitoring programs. It would lead to an elimination of issues of untreated and undertreated pain. Overall, physicians will comply with the regulations to protect patients from opioids addiction while providing appropriate care for those in pain.
Respectfully Yours,
Name
Title
Contact Information
Reference
Burkhardt, M. A., & Nathaniel, A. K. (2019). Ethics & issues in contemporary nursing. New York: Elsevier Health Sciences.