Perception of nurse prescribing among nurses and psychiatrists in a developing country: A cross-sectional survey

Work-Related Strain, Sense of Coherence and Intercultural Sensitivity Among Mental Health Nurses in Qatar: A Cross-Sectional Study

Migrant nurses face many challenges as they adapt and assimilate into their new working environments. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the perceptions of work-related strain, sense of coherence and intercultural sensitivity among nurses who were employed at a public mental health facility in Qatar. We used three self-report questionnaires: the work-related strain inventory, sense of coherence scale and an intercultural sensitivity scale. A cohort of 136 nurses voluntarily engaged in the study. The majority of participants were male, migrated from South Asia and were in their mid-30s. The study found that both sense of coherence and intercultural sensitivity were inversely proportional to work-related strain. Work-related strain was found to be lower than expected; the factors that appear to protect against work-related strain include longer clinical experience, a high sense of coherence, and intercultural sensitivity. Additionally, greater age and extended clinical experience, combined with a history of work in three or more countries, associated with higher scores on the sense of coherence scale. Lastly, being female, having a postgraduate degree and holding a senior-level position were associated with increased intercultural sensitivity. As nurses' migration across national and international borders increases in response to global demand, this study has important implications for nursing administrators, educators and policymakers in relation to the development and implementation of strategies to enhance nurses' sense of coherence and intercultural sensitivity and prevent work-related strain. Trial Registration number: NCT04196751.

The attitudes of physicians toward nurse prescribing rights: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Nursing prescribing rights have been proposed in many countries, with physicians' attitudes playing an important role. This study aimed to investigate the attitudes of physicians toward nurse prescribing rights.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study of 112 Chinese physicians was conducted from January to March 2024. This study utilized a demographic information form, nurses' prescription right knowledge questions, and a scale to measure nurse-physician collaboration. The data was analyzed with IBM SPSS-21 software using descriptive and inferential statistics. We used the mean±standard deviation, frequencies and percentages to describe the demographic information, T-test, Chi-square test or Fisher' s exact test, and binary logistic regression analysis to analyze the correlated factors of the attitudes of physicians toward nurse prescribing rights.

RESULTS

Of 112 physicians, 60 supported nurse prescribing rights, accounting for 53.57% of the total. The results of the single-factor analysis indicated significant differences in the aspects of sex. The binary logistic regression revealed that being female (OR = 0.195, 95%CI = 0.072 ∼ 0.529), having knowledge of nurse prescribing rights (OR = 1.513, 95%CI = 1.051 ∼ 2.176), and promoting nurse-physician collaboration (OR = 1.058, 95%CI = 1.032 ∼ 1.084) were the factors that correlated with physicians' attitudes toward nurse prescribing rights.

CONCLUSIONS

Most physicians expressed a favorable attitude toward nurse prescribing rights. The results of this study will help advance the development of nurse prescribing rights and ultimately improve the quality of patient care.

Barriers and facilitators in nurse prescribing practices: a protocol for qualitative meta-synthesis from nurses' perspectives

INTRODUCTION

With the development of the medical system and the diversification of patient needs, nurse practitioners (NPs) play an increasingly important role in medical practice, assuming more responsibilities and powers, including the right to prescribe. However, in the process of exercising the right to prescribe, NPs may face various obstacles, and there are also some promoting factors. Therefore, this study aims to deeply explore the obstacles and promoting factors in the prescription process of NPs through a qualitative meta-analysis and comprehensive method, so as to provide a basis for improving the prescription practice of NPs, improving nursing quality and patient satisfaction.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This study will adhere to the Joanna Briggs Institute framework and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Protocols. A comprehensive literature search and analysis of studies on nurse are prescribed via PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library. Two independent reviewers will select articles, extract data and appraise study quality. Content analysis will be used to synthesise outcomes, and methodological quality and evidence quality will be assessed. The quality of the articles will be assessed using the 10-item Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval will not be required for this study, as it solely encompasses data derived from previously published research. The findings will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal. In addition, the results will be actively shared at major academic conferences focused on nursing research and healthcare policy to ensure that the study's outcomes reach key stakeholders, including healthcare practitioners, policymakers and researchers. This targeted dissemination strategy aims to promote the integration of the findings into practice and future research. This protocol is registered with the PROSPERO prospective database of systematic review.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42023398567.

Implementation of Nurse Prescriptions throughout the Public Health System in Catalonia (2021-2022)

BACKGROUND

Nurses in Catalonia have always prescribed health advice, health products, and medication in line with the professional competency of the discipline. Legislation about nurse prescriptions and the implementation of nurse prescribing varies widely among different countries. This article reports data regarding nurse prescribing in Catalonia in 2021 and 2022.

METHODS

This retrospective longitudinal study analyzed data from all care-providing units in Catalonia's integrated public health system.

RESULTS

The number of nurse prescriptions increased from 139,435 in 2021 to 573,822 in 2022, and the number of nurses issuing prescriptions increased from 3604 in 2021 to 5563 in 2022. The proportion of prescriptions for different products was similar in the two years analyzed. Prescriptions for medication increased by 7.5% in 2022.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurse prescribing is a recent advance in Catalonia. Despite some difficulties in rollout, the data indicate that this practice is becoming consolidated, as in other European countries.

Experiences of Spanish nurses in the rollout of nurse prescribing: a qualitative study

Introduction

Nurse prescribing has legal recognition in Spain, after a long regulatory process, with confusing, changing legislation that does not fully coincide with the reality of nurses' practice. There is currently no research available on how nurses have experienced the rollout of nurse prescribing. The objective of this study is to describe the experiences of nurses in the rollout of nurse prescribing in the province of Barcelona, Spain.

Method

A descriptive qualitative study with intentional sampling was carried out between March 2021 and July 2022. The data were collected through semi-structured individual interviews and discussion groups. The participants were 24 nurses working in the province of Barcelona who were accredited in nurse prescribing or involved in the rollout of nurse prescribing. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, following Braun and Clark. The COREQ checklist was used to report findings.

Results

We describe nurses' responses on the following themes: internal and external barriers; strategies to support nurse prescribing in the initial rollout and proposals for improvement; and factors linked to nurses' satisfaction.

Discussion

The regulatory process has provided a safety framework for nurse prescribing. Strategies are needed for its comprehensive development and its acceptance among the public. The findings give visibility to nurse prescribing internationally.

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

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.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-022-00888-0.

The development of nurse prescribing in mental health services: Outcomes from five national surveys 2004-2019

AIM

This study aimed to explore data from national surveys of nurse prescribing in England's National Health Service mental health services.

BACKGROUND

Nurse prescribing is increasing worldwide. Reports describing long-term developments after implementation are rare.

METHODS

Five surveys were distributed to all mental health organisations between 2004 and 2019.

RESULTS

Response rates increased from 54% (n = 45/83) in 2004 to 79% (n = 42/53) in 2019. The estimated proportion of mental health nurses who were prescribers increased to 4.3% by 2019. Distribution between clinical practice areas did not change significantly over time, with the largest numbers in community mental health teams. The proportion of nurse prescribers actively prescribing increased from 76.4% in 2014 to 87.8% in 2019. Independent prescribing became the predominant approach, with supplementary prescribing rarely used as the sole model within organisations. The scale of implementation varied markedly between organisations.

CONCLUSIONS

Although nurse prescribing in mental health services has grown over time, growth has slowed and is variable at local level.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Organisations considering the introduction or growth of nurse prescribing should note the evidenced preference for an independent prescribing model to date and consider how to avoid unwarranted variation in nurse prescriber role distribution.

The expansion of the role of nurse prescribing in intensive care units in the healthcare system of Iran: a qualitative content analysis

Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurses prescribe medication for patients in many countries. However, there is still no evidence on the legitimacy of nurse prescribing roles in the healthcare system of Iran. This qualitative study with 30 experts was conducted to explore the experiences regarding the expanding role of prescribing medication by the ICU nurses. Data were collected through 31 individual semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the conventional content analysis method by MAXQDA 10. One major theme, "applicability of prescribing medication by ICU nurses", together with three sub-themes of "facilitators", "potential risks of nurse prescribing" and "the professional pathway", emerged. The use of successful global experiences, patient-oriented healthcare system policies, current culture and positive professional position of nurses, physician shortage, and high capacity of ICU nurses appeared as facilitators to perform the new role in our context. For the expansion of the new role, different professional pathways such as discussion with physicians and special groups with conflicts of interests, training qualified nurses in this area, and gradual development were proposed by the participants. The next step of the research is to prepare a set of standards for the prescription of medication by the ICU nurses in our context.

Nursing students' attitude and preparedness for nurse prescribing and its relationship with self-efficacy

AIM

The number of countries where nurses are allowed to prescribe has increased over the past two decades. Nursing students' self-efficacy has the main impact on their clinical and cognitive skills. The aim of this study is to determine nursing students' attitudes and preparedness for nurse prescribing and its relationship with their perceived self-efficacy.

DESIGN

The descriptive-correlational study METHODS: This study was conducted at five Nursing and Midwifery schools of Tabriz, Ardebil, Ilam, Ramsar, and Mashhad, Iran from March to July 2018. Through random sampling 250 undergraduate nursing students from the different geographical areas of Iran were selected. The research tool consisted of three parts including demographic information, nurse prescribing questionnaire, and a questionnaire on self-efficacy in patient care.

RESULTS

Nursing students had a positive attitudes and relatively high levels of preparedness for nurse prescribing. However, near to half of the participants (48.4%) mentioned that they have not good knowledge of pharmacology. Also there was a significant positive correlation between the students' self-efficacy and their attitudes and preparedness to nurse prescribing (p < 0.001, rs= 0.467;p = 0.00, rs= 0.633).

CONCLUSIONS

Given the nursing students' positive attitude to and their preparedness for nurse prescribing, it is possible to make them more prepared for this new role by increasing their pharmacological knowledge and improving their accountability, management, and leadership skills.