Independent Nurse: Practical Prescribing

July 20, 2008 by admin 

I am a qualified Nurse Independent/Nurse Supplementary Prescriber. I am planning to change career direction and move into the blood transfusion service. Would I be able to use my prescribing qualification in this area?

Blood and its cellular elements e.g. packed cells and platelets are not classified as medicinal products and so therefore it would be inappropriate for you to use your prescribing qualification to prescribe them. It is also inappropriate to supply or administer blood or its cellular elements using a Patient Group Direction. However, appropriately trained, competent practitioners (including nurses) can order, authorize, and administer blood. Therefore, provided you developed your knowledge and skills in this area, there would be nothing to stop you from doing this. You would need to discuss the policies surrounding this with your employer. Work looking at the necessary educational preparation to order, authorize, and administer blood is currently underway between the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS). However, it is important for you to appreciate that you would not be using your prescribing qualification in this role. Obviously, you could use your prescribing qualification if medicines were required to be prescribed alongside blood e.g. frusemide. You could also prescribe unlicensed medicinal products derived from the plasma component of blood (e.g. blood clotting factors) under supplementary prescribing and using a Clinical Management Plan. You could prescribe licensed plasma substitutes independently.

Obviously, before you start using your prescribing qualification in the blood transfusion service, you need to develop the necessary competencies. The prescribing competency framework, developed by the National Prescribing Centre (NPC),1 will help you identify these competencies and your continuing professional development needs.

Reference
1) NPC (2001). Maintaining competencies in prescribing- an outline framework to help nurse prescribers. Liverpool: NPC

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