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AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to explore current Australian Nurse Practitioners (NPs) models of prescribing used and medicines prescribed within their scopes of practice. DESIGN: Descriptive online electronic national survey. METHODS: An online survey of Australian NPs was conducted in 2017. A total of 252 NP participants reported on their current prescribing practices. RESULTS: Participants reported prescribing via three prescribing models with autonomous prescribing the most frequently used, followed by prescribing under supervision and prescribing under a structured arrangement. Participants reported prescribing 298 separate medications, representative of all major drug classifications from the Australian Medicines Handbook. CONCLUSIONS: NPs appear to engage in several modes of prescribing as relevant to their context of practice with most NPs prescribing using all models of prescribing at different times. Findings also highlight the diversity of and breath of the medicines that NP prescribes and highlight the need for NPs to have broad capability in relation to the quality use of medicines, irrespective of specialty or location of practice. IMPACT: Findings of this research add to the international literature on NP prescribing and through identification of models of prescribing and medicines prescribed inform future NP education and policy.
Fong et al. (Mon,) studied this question.