Nurses Should Write Prescriptions for Drugs

Introduction to Prescriptive Authority

With the ever-increasing demands on healthcare systems, providing the highest quality of patient care is an ongoing challenge. One way to meet this challenge is by exploring the expansion of nurses’ roles and responsibilities, particularly in terms of prescription-writing privileges. This essay will argue that nurses should be permitted to write prescriptions for drugs, as this would enhance patient care, improve access to medications, and correspond to the evolving healthcare landscape. Supporting evidence from relevant literature will be provided throughout the essay.

Enhancing Patient Care:

Prescriptive authority for nurses can substantially enhance patient care by reducing delays in medication administration, promoting timely treatment interventions, and improving patient outcomes. According to an analysis by Allen, Currie, and Bakal (2018), nurse practitioners (NPs) who have been authorized to prescribe independently have shown improvements in medication administration, leading to reduced hospital stays and better patient outcomes. This suggests that nurses with prescriptive authority can play a vital role in managing patient care effectively, including appropriate medication prescription.

Furthermore, the American Nurses Association (ANA) has reported that nurses are well-positioned to assess patient conditions, perform detailed history-taking, and diagnose common, uncomplicated conditions accurately. By empowering nurses to write prescriptions, patients can receive necessary medications promptly, avoiding potential complications and ensuring continuity of care within the nursing profession.

Improving Access to Medications:

Expanding nurses’ prescribing authority is a key strategy to address healthcare disparities, particularly in underserved areas with limited healthcare providers. Numerous studies have highlighted the benefits of nurse-led clinics and collaborative practice models, which emphasize nurses’ prescribing abilities in rural and remote settings. For instance, a systematic review by Hanson et al. (2018) found that nurse-managed clinics with prescriptive privileges successfully improved access to primary care services in underserved areas, reducing disparities in healthcare.

By enabling nurses to write prescriptions, patients in remote or underserved communities can receive essential medications without delay, avoiding the need for lengthy travel or seeking care from overburdened practitioners. Expanding nurses’ prescriptive authority would significantly contribute to bridging the gap in healthcare access and enhancing equitable healthcare delivery.

Evolving Healthcare Landscape:

The healthcare landscape is rapidly evolving, with a focus on team-based collaborative care. Nurses, as integral members of the healthcare team, possess the skills and expertise to contribute meaningfully to safe and effective medication management. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) emphasizes the importance of optimizing healthcare professionals’ roles to meet the needs of a changing healthcare system. Expanding nurses’ prescriptive authority aligns with this notion and enables interprofessional collaboration between nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and other healthcare practitioners.

Conclusion:

Should nurses be permitted to write prescription for drugs was the big question in this essay. Granting nurses the authority to write prescriptions for drugs can vastly improve patient care, enhance access to medications, and align with the evolving healthcare landscape. Evidence from research demonstrates the positive impact of nurses’ prescribing privileges on patient outcomes, especially in underserved areas. Collaborative care models and the changing healthcare landscape also support the expanded role for nurses in prescription-writing.

While it is crucial to maintain appropriate checks and balances, providing nurses with prescriptive authority would allow them to practice to their full potential, contributing to a more efficient, accessible, and patient-centered healthcare system. As healthcare needs continue to evolve, empowering nurses with prescribing privileges should be seen as a progressive step towards optimal patient care.

References:

Allen, M., Currie, L., & Bakal, L. (2018). Independent prescribing by nurse practitioners: A scoping review. Cogent Medicine, 5(1), 1527608. doi: 10.1080/2331205X.2018.1527608

American Nurses Association. (2014). The need for full practice authority. Retrieved from https://www.nursingworld.org/globalassets/practiceandpolicy/state-government-affairs/full-practice-authority/rightaprnrole.pdf

Hanson, C., Winch, P., Cavanagh, K., & Howell, J. (2018). Integrative review of nurse managed telehealth for rural populations. Nursing Outlook, 66(4), 379-390. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2018.04.008

By admin in Blog on January 24, 2024