Nurse Prescribing-Readiness of Polish Nurses to Take on New Competencies—A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

From January 2016, nurses in Poland received new competencies for prescribing. The work is the first in Poland to elaborate on the subject of nurses' readiness to learn and develop in the context of new nursing rights regarding autonomous prescription of medication and continuation of the prescription for medication. The aim of the study is to analyze the readiness of Polish nurses to learn and develop in the context of new competencies to write prescriptions. The research was conducted among 756 nurses. The standardized questionnaire (Readiness of Employees for Learning and Development) was used. For all subscales of readiness for learning and development, average scores prevailed. The readiness to write prescriptions was significantly related to the level of openness to changes in the work environment (A1 scale), self-evaluation of past educational development (C5 scale) and educational and professional goals alignment-employee and company (scale D2) and increasing the readiness of nurses to practice all of the aforementioned agents, in particular medical devices. The readiness of nurses to learn and develop at all levels of the subscales was on an average level. Younger nurses, with a shorter seniority, having higher education and additional qualifications had a higher readiness to prescribe medications and write prescriptions. The higher readiness for learning and development was matched by a greater readiness to prescribe. The results obtained can be used to plan training and courses, as well as to create special pro-development programs, which may increase the nurses' involvement in personal and professional development.

Nurses’ readiness to prescribe under supervision in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

“…Our findings show that nurses’ perceptions of prescribing under supervision vary significantly based on demographic characteristics. Regarding becoming a prescriber, the present study indicates significant differences based on the level of education, which is consistent with the findings of Bartosiewicz and Różański (2019) , who reported that nurses with higher qualifications show higher readiness to prescribe. Furthermore, our findings identified significant differences in the likelihood, motivators, and minimum years of experience and qualifications for becoming prescribers based on demographic characteristics.…”

“…However, owing to the shortage of providers, limited access to healthcare, increase in chronic health conditions, increased interprofessional teamwork, and advancement in nursing higher education, an increasing number of countries have enacted reforms to widen access to medications, which grants nurses prescribing capacity ( Gielen et al, 2014 , Maier, 2019 , Weeks et al, 2013 ). Countries that do not predominately have authorized independent nurse prescribers, such as advanced practice nurses, allowed registered nurses (RNs) to prescribe some medications under supervision after the completion of adequate prescribing qualification and training ( Bartosiewicz and Różański, 2019 , Brimblecombe and Dobel-Ober, 2022 , Fox et al, 2022 , Lennon and Fallon, 2018 , Maier, 2019 , Romero-Collado et al, 2017 ).…”

Nurses’ Experiences of Practical Challenges Associated with Nurses’ Prescription: A Qualitative Study

“…[ 6 21 ] Therefore, the government’s proper strategy and facilitating the new role of nurses in prescription medication is essential for nurses. [ 22 ] Lack of support and negative organizational atmosphere were other concepts of the challenge of nurse prescription in Iran. In their study, Naderi et al .…”

Sense of self-efficacy of nursing staff and their willingness to write prescriptions and prescribe medicines

“…Among older people and those with more seniority at work, interest in expanding their knowledge is declining. According to a report by the Supreme Council of Nurses and Midwives, the average age of nurses in Poland is over 53 years, so it is extremely important to create conditions for their development and to motivate them to take on new tasks and roles [11,12]. A study by Soudagar et al examined self-efficacy and the associated factors.…”