Developing health visitor prescribing

摘要

Abstract Prescribing is an essential element of the health visitor's role. However, in one inner-city locality prescribing in practice was evaluated to be at a low level. A number of barriers to prescribing were identified through a focus group. A project to support health visitors was planned and delivered. The project involved clinical updates and improvement to the registration process, thereby reducing delays for practitioners in getting prescribing pads. The result was that prescribing confidence improved and prescribing activity increased. Background Non-medical prescribing (NMP), specifically the V100 qualification, has been an inherent part of health visitor and district nurse training since 1999 (While and Biggs, 2004). It is also an important element of the specialist community public health nursing (SCPHN) course for health visitors and school nurses. However, evidence, both anecdotal and through a data activity report taken from the online prescription services database ePact, demonstrated that prescribing activity in the health visiting service was at a low level. Therefore, a project to develop non-medical prescribing in the health visiting and school nursing services in an inner city locality was planned. Background and context NMP was first proposed in the Crown Report (Department of Health (DH), 1989). The benefits to clients identified in the report included better use of time for clients and nurses, and improved patient care. NMP has evolved to allow allied health professionals and nurses to prescribe from the whole British National Formulary (BNF) within their specialty. This has been evaluated as beneficial for clients, nurses and their organisations (Courtenay, 2010). This form of prescribing is known as independent prescribing and the qualification is called V300; however, this project focused on community practitioner nurse prescribers who have the V100 qualification; specifically, health visitors. This qualification allows health visitors, school nurses and district nurses to prescribe for their clients from the Nurse Prescribers' Formulary for Community Practitioners (NPF).