Investigating non-medical prescribers' awareness of compliance

Abstract

This paper sought to investigate non-medical prescribers' awareness of compliance and what is required for them to be compliant when prescribing in an acute NHS trust. This was a quantitative pilot study using a survey technique with an online questionnaire. A purposive sample from 85 registered non-medical prescribers who were actively prescribing were invited to participate. Data analysis was restricted because of the limited number of respondents (n=14), making this a pilot study. Data were analysed using descriptive statistical analysis IBM SPSS 25 software. The majority (85.7%) of non-medical prescribers were shown to be compliant, highlighting 14.3% as non-compliant. Furthermore, 28% prescribed outside of their personal formulary, which is in breach of the non-medical prescribers' trust policy. A further 85% participated in continuous professional development and 72% requested regular continuous professional development. Despite the majority being compliant with the non-medical prescribers' policy, 14.3% were not. This clearly has implications for patient safety and practitioner professionalism, in terms of responsibility and accountability. Although limited by small respondent size, the findings highlight the need for further research to inform recommendations for practice.