Nurse prescribing--the knowledge base

This article sets the scene for a new Nursing Times series that looks at the knowledge needed for nurses to prescribe from the nurse prescribers' formulary. Although nurse prescribing is still in its infancy, nurses with prescription pads may soon become the norm. We will be looking at the knowledge needed to prescribe laxatives and rectal preparations, wound dressings, skin preparations, oral analgesics, insecticides and anthelmintics.