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Should nurses prescribe blood components?
1Effective Use of Blood Group, Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, Edinburgh. Liz.pirie@snbts.csa.scot.nhs.uk
Aim:
To explore the feasibility of nurses prescribing blood components.
Method:
Using a convenience snowball sample, a UK-wide questionnaire survey was undertaken to identify transfusion practices and canvass the opinions of nurses and doctors.
Results:
A total of 179 (59%) of 302 respondents were supportive of nurses prescribing blood components, saying it would have a positive effect on the quality of patient care, result in fewer treatment delays and help doctors and nurses to use their time more effectively. The remaining 123 (41%) respondents had reservations about time and resource constraints and worries about undermining medical care and responsibility.
Conclusion:
Development of non-medical prescribing to allow nurses to prescribe blood components has the potential to deliver a more patient-centred quality service.
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