Endorsed midwife prescribing in Australia: "[For] the women, more than anything"

Prescribing by Endorsed Midwives has existed in Australia for more than ten years. Significant barriers exist in the bureaucracy surrounding prescribing and state and territory legislation which further constrain midwives capacity to prescribe required medications.

Current evidence indicates Endorsed Midwives improve timely access to medications and can experience both enablers and barriers to prescribing.

To explore Endorsed Midwives' lived experiences of medication prescribing, including which medications are being prescribed, how this affects the women in their care, midwives' practice, and perspectives on the future of midwifery prescribing.

A descriptive qualitative approach was used. Data collection occurred through semi-structured interviews (n=10) of Endorsed Midwives from varied Australian practice contexts and locations. Data analysis followed Reflexive Thematic Analysis.

Four themes were developed: Medication prescription as essential healthcare; Prescribing optimises midwifery practice; External structures can both promote and inhibit the capacity to prescribe; The future of prescribing.

Endorsed Midwife prescribing has the potential to positively impact women's maternity care and enable midwives to fulfil their scope of practice. However, limitations to prescribing need to be addressed to capitalise on these benefits.

Significant reform of health service policy, state and territory legislation and further development of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme are required to fully embrace and capitalise on the full scope of Endorsed Midwives in the Australian Healthcare system.