An overview of developments in nurse prescribing in the UK
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

An overview of developments in nurse prescribing in the UK

Molly Courtenay Professor, School of Healthcare Sciences, College of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales

Why you should read this article:
  • » To update your knowledge of advances in relation to the prescribing of medicines by nurses

  • » To familiarise yourself with the background to nurse prescribing, including some of the legislative and policy changes that have occurred

  • » To recognise the challenges associated with nurse prescribing and meeting healthcare service needs

  • » To support interprofessional education and a multiprofessional approach to prescribing

In the UK and internationally, the nursing profession is continuing to advance and innovate its roles and functions. One area in which this is particularly notable is nurse prescribing. The UK has the most extended nurse prescribing rights in the world, with significant advances in this field over the past two decades. This article reflects on this development, what has been learned and the challenges that remain in relation to nurse prescribing and meeting healthcare service needs.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e11078

Citation

Courtenay M (2018) An overview of developments in nurse prescribing in the UK. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2018.e11078

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

courtenaym@cardiff.ac.uk

Conflict of interest

None declared

Published online: 27 March 2018

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