Abstract
The role of district nurses in the effective management of pain in palliative care has been strengthened by the Misuse of Drugs (Amendment No.2) (England, Wales and Scotland) Regulations 2012 that allow district nurses who are independent or supplementary prescribers to prescribe and administer controlled drugs. However, prescribing controlled drugs brings increased responsibility and accountability for the safe management of these medicines. In this article Richard Griffith considers the principle of double effect that seeks to ensure that patients in intractable pain receive the analgesia they require to manage that pain while district nurses avoid liability and prosecution under the law of murder.
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