Nurse prescribers: what do dermatology patients think?

July 30, 2009 by admin 

Dermatology patients were found to be very satisfied with the care they were given by nurse independent prescribers and nurse supplementary prescribers, in this study in which 165 (82%) patients treated by nurse prescribers from different convenience samples returned questionnaires.

The questionnaires asked patients about access and waiting times, continuity of care, communication during the consultation, outcomes of the consultation and satisfaction with the care received.

Continuity of care was seen as good and rated highly, suggesting that relationship continuity is an important aspect of the nurse-patient relationship: in particular, patients of the specialist nurses rated continuity highly - these patients are more likely to have long-term conditions.

All aspects of communication during the consultation were rated highly by patients, with slightly lower ratings being given to the amount of information patients received about their medicines.  Patients of specialist nurses rated this aspect higher than those of GP nurses.

Overall, the authors conclude that the relationship nurse prescribers have with their dermatology patients and the length of the consultations are important features in this type of consultation.  More research is needed on the information needs of dermatology patients, and on the effect of the nurse prescriber/patient relationship on medicines concordance and clinical outcomes.

Courtenay M, Carey N and Stenner K. Dermatology patients’ views on nurse prescribers. Dermatological Nursing 2009; 8(2): 38-44.

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Diverse views on nurse prescribing in a children’s hospital

June 6, 2009 by admin 

How is nurse prescribing being implemented in a specialist children’s hospital?  Healthcare professionals had a range of views on this in a series of interviews in this small study in a highly specialist setting. The nurses had differing views on autonomy - how much they have at present and how much they aspired to - and the authors conclude that this is reflected in the way prescribing was used in practice. Some nurses primarily used prescribing to improve the efficiency of their existing practice, with fewer diagnostic and assessment skills and little feeling of needing prescribing support; in contrast, those wanting to develop their practice further had greater involvement in new patient assessment, greater assessment and diagnostic skills, and would like more support.  The authors highlight the importance for organizations of the link between nurses’ expectations of their prescribing roles, the extent to which they use their prescribing qualifications, and the support they need.

The findings highlight the importance of a strategic approach to workforce planning: this approach had quickly superseded selection of nurses based around individual needs, and fostered consideration of issues such as education and support.

Carey N, Stenner K and Courtenay M. Views on implementing nurse prescribing by children’s nurses. Nurse Prescribing 2009; 7(5): 205-210.

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