The impact of non-medical prescribing on practice

Abstract

Non-medical prescribing has undergone radical changes in recent years, and there is clearly a need to evaluate its impact on practice. The study reported in this article focused on one county in the south-east of England. A two-part strategy was adopted: a questionnaire was distributed to all nurses who held the non-medical prescribing qualification; and interviews conducted with a variety of nurses, pharmacists, doctors and managers. An earlier paper ( Avery et al, 2007 ) focused on the extent to which effectiveness of non-medical prescribing was associated with the doctor–nurse relationship, but this article examines its impact for all the stakeholders involved. The findings suggested that, in a number of areas, patient throughput was increasing, nurses and doctors were re-assessing their roles, and that the qualification enhanced personal feelings of job satisfaction and autonomy. Moreover, although patients were not directly involved in the study, the overall perception was that they too were experiencing satisfaction with a system that enabled speedier access to treatment.