How nurse prescribing influences the nursing role

Because role change can be disruptive, the introduction of nurse prescribing could potentially lead to confusion and conflict over role boundaries and definitions. This article considers how adopting prescribing has influenced the role of nurse prescribers who treat and manage patients with diabetes. Interviews with 10 nurse prescribers, nine doctors and three non-prescribing nurses were collected as part of a case study of nine UK sites where nurses prescribed medicines for patients with diabetes. We found that nurses resisted the 'medicalization' of their role. They strove to ensure that their consultations continued to follow a 'nursing model' which involved holistic assessment, health promotion and patient-centred care. There were perceived differences in the level of decision-making between doctors and nurse prescribers. To conclude, nurses adopted prescribing while maintaining a nursing approach to practice. For specialist nurses, this expanded role included higher levels of decision-making more traditionally associated with doctors