From the Research
Nurse non-medical prescribers, particularly nurse practitioners, have a broad scope of practice for prescribing medications, though this varies by jurisdiction, and they can prescribe a wide range of medications including antibiotics, antihypertensives, antidiabetics, analgesics, and many other drug classes, as supported by the most recent and highest quality study 1.
Scope of Practice
The scope of practice for nurse non-medical prescribers includes:
- Initiating new prescriptions
- Adjusting dosages
- Renewing existing prescriptions
- Discontinuing medications as clinically indicated
- Prescribing controlled substances, though often with certain restrictions depending on their classification level
Education and Training
Nurse practitioners' education includes advanced pharmacology, pathophysiology, and clinical decision-making, enabling them to understand medication mechanisms, interactions, contraindications, and appropriate monitoring requirements, as described in 2.
Prescribing Authority
Prescribing authority may be limited for certain high-risk medications or specialized treatments in some areas, and some jurisdictions require a period of supervised practice or collaborative agreements with physicians before independent prescribing authority is granted, as noted in 3.
Key Points
- Non-medical prescribers can deliver comparable outcomes for systolic blood pressure, glycated haemoglobin, low-density lipoprotein, medication adherence, patient satisfaction, and health-related quality of life, as found in 1.
- The education requirement for non-medical prescribing varied with country and location, as mentioned in 1.
- Non-medical prescribers must practise within their competence, demonstrating continuing professional development to maintain the quality engendered during training, as emphasized in 2.