Nurse prescribing of medicines in 13 European countries

Claudia B Maier

doi:10.1186/s12960-019-0429-6

Abstract

BackgroundNurse prescribing of medicines is increasing worldwide, but there is limited research in Europe. The objective of this study was to analyse which countries in Europe have adopted laws on nurse prescribing.MethodsCross-country comparative analysis of reforms on nurse prescribing, based on an expert survey (TaskShift2Nurses Survey) and an OECD study. Country experts provided country-specific information, which was complemented with the peer-reviewed and grey literature. The analysis was based on policy and thematic analyses.ResultsIn Europe, as of 2019, a total of 13 countries have adopted laws on nurse prescribing, of which 12 apply nationwide (Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom (UK)) and one regionally, to the Canton Vaud (Switzerland). Eight countries adopted laws since 2010. The extent of prescribing rights ranged from nearly all medicines within nurses’ specialisations (Ireland for nurse prescribers, Netherlands for nurse specialists, UK for independent nurse prescribers) to a limited set of medicines (Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden). All countries have regulatory and minimum educational requirements in place to ensure patient safety; the majority require some form of physician oversight.ConclusionsThe role of nurses has expanded in Europe over the last decade, as demonstrated by the adoption of new laws on prescribing rights.

Highlights

Nurse prescribing of medicines is increasing worldwide, but there is limited research in Europe
As of 2019, 13 countries in Europe have laws on nurse prescribing in place, which apply nationwide in 12 countries (Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom) and in one region in Switzerland in the Canton Vaud (Table 1)
The four nations of the United Kingdom (UK) and Sweden were the first countries in Europe which introduced prescribing rights dating back to 1992 and 1994, respectively

Summary

Introduction

Nurse prescribing of medicines is increasing worldwide, but there is limited research in Europe. The right to prescribe medications has for long been reserved to the medical profession only. This situation has changed, with an increasing number of countries worldwide having introduced reforms to authorise nurses to prescribe certain medications [1,2,3,4,5,6]. The United States of America (US) and Canada have a long tradition with nurses working in advanced practice roles, which includes the right to prescribe medicines [7,8,9]. The extent of nurse prescribing depends on several factors: first, the groups of nurses authorised to prescribe, which can range from small, highly specialised groups of nurses to all professional nurses; second, the type of medications that nurses are allowed to prescribe, which can range from all medicines to a restricted set; and third, the overall legal responsibility, ranging from independent

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