Patients’ attitudes towards, and information needs in relation to, nurse prescribing in rheumatology

Abstract

Rheumatology patients who have not yet experienced nurse prescribing are, in general, positive about nurses adopting this role. It is important that nurses provide appropriate information about the prescribed medicines, in a form that can be understood.

Nurse prescriber–patient consultations: a case study in dermatology

“…The role that patient information plays with regard to adherence to medicines has been highlighted previously (DoH 2001). The need for nurse prescribers to give patients information about their medicines, and specifically about side effects, has also been reported (Berry et al. 2006, 2008).…”

The attitudes of patients with chronic conditions towards nurse prescribing medications

“…Latter & Courtenay (2004) show that the expansion of nurse authority to prescribing is perceived by patients as a positive development and that patients are highly satisfied with it. Nonetheless, the researchers stated that there is a major need to further explore this issue because most current studies were conducted in the community and dealt only with nurse prescribing in the community (Berry et al 2008). Another finding was that nurses demonstrate significant pharmacological knowledge, adding to the sense of security among patients (Latter & Courtenay 2004).…”

“…Other concerns perceived as preventing patients from approaching nurses for a prescription include patient perception of nurse inability to adequately explain the care provided, and perceived lack of knowledge about interactions with other drugs, as well as about how the drug works, side effects, dosages, alternative medicines and also the accuracy of nurse diagnoses (Berry et al 2008). In addition, patients are uncertain of the knowledge of clinical nurse specialists and their clinical experience and of the medical decisions they reach based on the clinical condition and medical history of patients.…”

Beliefs about medicines among prescribing and non-prescribing nurses in Sweden

“…There are obvious benefits of nurses who prescribe medicines, both for the patients and for the nurses themselves, e.g., improved continuity of care for the patient and increased job satisfaction for the nurse [5,6] . Improved communication is another beneficial effect of nurses who prescribes medicines, according to nurses [5,6] and patients [7] . Nurses' communication about medicines and medication taking behavior has been found to be associated with perceived barriers among patients in terms of how to handle medicines [8] , thus interactive communication between nurses and patients is important for maintaining personcentered care (PCC) [9] .…”