In response to Julie's question regarding an RN's responsibility for
pointing a mother in the direction of a non-prescription drug, I hope my
point of view will be helpful.

The nursing process is to assess the needs of the patient, implement a plan
of care, evaluate the response/efficacy and make adjustments to the plan of
care.  We do this mostly by teaching as well as hands-on physical care.
Each state has a Nurse Practice Act that defines the legitimate boundaries
for the RN.  It can vary somewhat by state, so check your legislature's
publication for your Nurse Practice Act.  Usually it is far less restrictive
than you would expect.

As I see it, teaching a patient about an option she may decide to exercise
is not prescribing.  So I do not hesitate to discuss options like
Domperidone with my patients.

Diane Perrone, RNC
Materna Wellborn
Algonquin  IL  USA

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