Nurses, physicians and patients’ knowledge and attitudes about nurse prescribing

Abstract

Background One of the roles that nurses have acquired in recent years is the role of prescribing. This study aimed to investigate the knowledge and attitudes of critical care nurses, physicians and patients about nurse prescribing. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study with the participation of 152 nurses, 53 physicians and 75 patients was carried out. Participants were selected by stratified random sampling from the critical care units of six hospitals in Tabriz, Iran. Demographics and participants’ knowledge and attitudes about nurse prescribing questionnaires were used to collect data. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS-22 software. Results The mean scores of total knowledge about nurse prescribing in nurses, patients and physicians’ were 15.41 ± 1.85,16.45 ± 2.31, 14.74 ± 1.7 respectively (from a range of 10 -20), and the mean score of knowledge by physicians was significantly higher than others (P = 0.000) and they had more knowledge about nurse prescribing. The mean scores of the attitudes towards nurse prescribing in nurses, physicians and patients were 40.62 ± 3.68, 37.98 ± 5.92 and 39.38 ± 4.39 respectively (from a range of 10 -50). However, the total mean score of attitudes among nurses was significantly higher than others (P = 0.000) and nurses had more positive attitudes toward prescribing. Conclusion The results showed that the participants have a good understanding and attitudes toward nurse prescribing. Nurse prescribing as a new duty and authority can be considered in providing more effective care by specialist nurses. The results of this study can also be used in the future planning of health policy for nurses to have the right to prescribe and ultimately improve the quality of patient care.

Attitudes of the public and medical professionals toward nurse prescribing: A text-mining study based on social medias

“…It will positively affect the public and medical professionals’ attitudes to some extent. In our study, doctors and medical students in the medical forum actively engaged in the discussion of nurse prescribing, which is consistent with the results of the previous studies conducted on physicians or nurses by Haririan [ 17 ], Heller [ 33 ], Zarzeka [ 37 ], Kroezen [ 38 , 61 ], and Funnell [ 44 ]. This phenomenon denoted that nurse prescribing has won medical professionals’ attention.…”

“…Differences in medical policies, culture, and economic conditions in developing countries have led to limited research on nurse prescribing status and satisfaction. Only eleven developing countries’ studies have demonstrated that nurse prescribing alleviates the primary physician shortage [ 16 , 17 ]. Meanwhile, some studies have pointed out that patients are inclined to choose physicians over nurses when choosing services under the long-standing concept of prioritizing doctors over nurses [ 16 ].…”

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

“…[ 20 ] In another study, in addition to the legal and ethical aspects of nurse prescription, training nurses on drug prescription and strengthening their clinical decision-making were other important issues that facilitated the implementation of nurse prescription. [ 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.…”

Physicians’ attitudes towards the development of the nurse prescribing role in critical care and emergency departments

“…More than half of the physicians advocated for critical care nurses to have the ability to prescribe medication. They emphasized that nurse prescribing enhances patient satisfaction and positively impacts the nursing profession [ 21 ]. This aligns with the results of Shannon et al‘s (2011) study, which examined the perspectives of general practitioners and specialist physicians regarding the prescribing role of heart failure specialist nurses.…”

“…Additionally, approximately half of the respondents believed that nurse and midwife prescribing reduces the burden of responsibility on physicians [ 22 ]. Haririan et al‘s study in Iran (year not provided) revealed that the majority of specialized care physicians perceived that nurse prescribing of medications contributes to increased patient satisfaction and positively impacts the nursing profession [ 21 ]. Similarly, a study conducted in the Netherlands in 2014 demonstrated a positive outlook from both physicians and nurses regarding nurse prescribing [ 6 ].…”