Nurse prescribing in low-resource settings: professional considerations

Area of Science:

• Healthcare policy
• Nursing practice
• Global health

Background:

• Nurses in low-resource settings often prescribe medications without adequate training, supervision, or regulatory frameworks to meet community health needs.
• Evidence on nurse prescribing in these settings is limited, with some studies showing positive health outcomes and others indicating issues like antibiotic overuse.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the professional issues associated with nurse prescribing in low-resource countries.
• To examine national-level recognition and approaches to nurse prescribing.
• To highlight the gap in international policy and guidance.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of professional issues in nurse prescribing.
• Analysis of national policies and guidance.
• Synthesis of existing evidence on outcomes and challenges.

Main Results:

• Nurses in low-resource countries frequently undertake prescribing roles due to healthcare demands.
• Existing literature presents mixed findings on the effectiveness and patterns of nurse prescribing.
• National governments have begun to address nurse prescribing, but international recognition lags.

Conclusions:

• Clear definition and recognition of nurses' extended roles, responsibilities, training, and rights are necessary.
• Rigorous evaluations of nurse-prescribing interventions, including health, social, and economic outcomes, are needed.
• Monitoring legislative and regulatory changes is crucial for safe and effective nurse prescribing.