Nurse Prescription Start-up in a Spanish Health Organization: Nurses' Preparedness and 6-month Results

Introduction: Nurse prescribing is well consolidated in many countries. In Spain, recent legislation has allowed nurse to prescribe under specific conditions, but the implementation process is complex.

Objectives: First, to describe nurses' knowledge and expectations of nurse prescribing in a health institution in Spain. Second, to report the nurses' prescriptions in a pilot group at 6 months.

Methods: A descriptive, online survey design was used to identify nurses' knowledge and expectations of prescribing. The results were compared according to the nurses' professional position and training. We analyzed the number and type of prescriptions issued in the first 6 months.

Results: Training needs (overall score = 4.2/5) and lack of knowledge of the law (4.25/5) were scored lower by nurses with postgraduate training. Subjective assessment of preparedness among nurses was high (>4/5), and the highest-scoring expected impact was improvement in patients' experience (4.25/5). Years of nursing experience were negatively correlated with preparedness and the expectation of an increase in patient management errors. A total of 212 prescriptions were issued (2 drugs and 200 health devices).

Conclusions: Nurses perceived good preparedness but also the need for more training in medicines and prescribing law. Expectations of prescribing were favourable. Most prescriptions were for health devices.