Pharmacists and Nurses as Prescribers: Factors Affecting the Decision to Prescribe in Multiple Clinical Areas

Pharmacists and nurses have been able to prescribe as independent prescribers since 2007. Independent prescribing means nurse and pharmacist prescribers can prescribe in any clinical area in which they feel competent. In some GP practices, new prescribers are prescribing in several clinical areas, while in other practices, they only prescribe in one.

Teamwork, collaboration and ethos within the GP practice are likely to affect the extent to which a nurse or pharmacist prescriber feels able to expand to new clinical areas. How a team works is important because professionals who work together provide better patient care. With rising numbers of nurse and pharmacist prescribers, the relationship between team working, areas of practice and how a prescriber sees their professional role are now key areas for research investigation.

Using a mixed methods approach, this PhD seeks to investigate the following research questions:
• How does collaboration and teamwork within a GP practice affect a nurse or pharmacist prescribers’ prescribing remit?
• What are the personal and practice level characteristics affecting prescriber remit?
• How do teamwork and professional role affect patient outcome?

Supervisors: Marjorie Weiss, Rhian Deslandes, Molly Courtenay, Karen Hodson