1. 19. Id. at 689. Protocols have been referred to as “pre-determined medical plans of action for various illnesses, diseases, examinations, etc.” Comment, Interpreting Missouri's Nursing Practice Act, Saint Louis University Law Journal 26(4): 931, 941 n.57 (1982). A standing order is generally understood to mean an order for medication or other treatment that is not specific to a particular patient, but can be administered whenever a given condition is found. In Sermchief, oral contraceptives were administered after the nurse's examination determined such medication to be appropriate.
2. Interpreting Missouri's Nursing Practice Act;Saint Louis University Law Journal,1982
3. 16. Id. at 946.
4. 20. See Toth v. Community Hosp. at Glen Cove, 292 N.Y.S.2d 440, 450 (N.Y. 1968).
5. 32. The Board of Nursing is given broad authority to adopt rules and regulations. Rev. Stat. Mo. §335.036.1(2). In the absence of an authoritative statement from the board there was one clearly erroneous opinion from the Attorney General that stated that nurses in Missouri have no authority to engage in primary health care that includes diagnosis and treatment. See supra note 3, and accompanying text.