Hospital nurses' perceptions of pharmacist prescribing.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Professional Collaboration
• Pharmacy Practice
• Nursing Practice

Background:

• The Crown review proposed expanding prescribing rights to new healthcare professionals.
• Progress has focused on nurse prescribing, but hospital settings also consider nurses, pharmacists, and others.
• This study investigates hospital nurses' views on pharmacist prescribing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine hospital nurses' perceptions of pharmacist prescribing.
• To identify potential issues for further investigation regarding pharmacist prescribing in hospitals.

Main Methods:

• A postal questionnaire was distributed to 200 nurses at five NHS teaching hospitals in Birmingham.
• 115 nurses completed the questionnaire, yielding a 57.5% response rate.
• Qualitative data was gathered from 54 nurses who provided additional comments.

Main Results:

• Nurses' comments highlighted five key areas for further research.
• These areas include pharmacists' patient knowledge and potential communication issues.
• Concerns were also raised about doctors' treatment review opportunities, pharmacist workload, and accountability.

Conclusions:

• Hospital nurses' perceptions of pharmacist prescribing reveal several areas requiring deeper investigation.
• Addressing these issues is crucial for the successful integration of pharmacist prescribing in hospital settings.
• Further research should focus on patient knowledge, communication, workload, and accountability.