Supplementary nurse prescribing

AIM: To explore the attitudes of multidisciplinary team members to nurse prescribing and to establish its perceived advantages and disadvantages. METHOD: Five focus groups were conducted with a range of healthcare professionals in one trust. A total of 46 participants took part in the study A structured schedule was used during each discussion to elicit group members' views on supplementary nurse prescribing. The data were analysed thematically and key themes and concepts were identified. FINDINGS: These are summarised under five main headings: what is supplementary prescribing?; why introduce supplementary prescribing?; perceived benefits of supplementary prescribing; concerns about supplementary prescribing; and skills necessary for supplementary prescribing. Analysis of the data suggests that although teams were generally supportive of nurse prescribing they are largely confused about what is being recommended and why. There was concern about how nurse prescribing will be implemented and its potential to disrupt team functioning. CONCLUSION: A considerable amount of preparation will be required to ensure that nurse prescribers have the organisational and team support to adapt to their new roles.