Changing prescribing practice for district nurses

April 10, 2009 by admin 

Ineffective current therapy and awareness of a new product were identified as the two major drivers for changes in the prescribing patterns of district nurses in this small study.

For those district nurses that did change their habits, pharmaceutical company reps and other nurses had the greatest influence on product selection. The experience of the nurse then had the greatest influence on whether the new product continued to be prescribed. The authors argue that this heavy reliance on the industry for information about prescribing, although apparently mirrored in medical prescribing, is a concern, especially as evidence-based practice was not mentioned. They suggest that perhaps organizations promoting cost effective prescribing for nurses should visit nurse prescribers, taking a leaf from the industry’s book. As colleagues also influence prescribing habits, a cascade system could be used.

Hall J, Noyce P and Cantrill J. Why do district nurse prescribers alter their prescribing patterns? Br J Comm Nursing 2008; 13(11): 507-513.

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