A research report on the prescription rights of Chinese nurses

ObjectiveTo explore the feasibility of the nurse's prescription right in China, to develop the requirements for the qualification of the applicant for the prescription right of nurse, and to determine the content of certain prescriptions in the specific circumstances.MethodsLiterature review on the relevant articles/material with the contents of the nurse's right of prescription home and abroad. Semi-structured depth interview method was used to interview 18 experts on whether the nurses can participate in the graded nursing decision and whether nurses with certain ability can make the decision. Using the self-made questionnaire “Nurses involved in graded nursing decision-recognition questionnaire”, 553 nurses completed questionnaires on willingness to nurse decision-making grading. Using the analytic hierarchy process, the 23 experts' judgment on the main body of the graded nursing was rated. Using semi-structured depth interview method, 17 experts were interviewed on the graded nursing quality assessment and training outline. The form of expert personal judgment and the “grading nursing qualification experts predict questionnaire” were used as a preliminary designing tool, 32 experts were asked to predict the graded nursing quality. The relatively important factors that might promote implementation of right of Chinese nurse prescribing weights setting were obtained by analytic hierarchy process. Using Delphi method, 2 rounds of consultation to 291 experts/times were performed, and determined its content on the fields of graded nursing decision, nurses' job description, decision making nurse in graded nursing work process and related management system, decision-making main body of clinical nursing, nurse authority of prescription application qualification, clinical nurses, diabetes specialist nurses, tumor specialist nurses, nurses in emergency department, community nurses in certain circumstances writing prescription, and nursing undergraduate added with nurse authority of prescription related courses.ResultsThe physician is not considered to be the best decision-making main body of clinical nursing work and graded nursing, nurses can participate in the work of decision-making. The qualification of hierarchical decision-making nurse and nurse prescribing applicants have been determined. The hierarchical nursing decision-making nurses' position description and training outline have been compiled. Experts suggest that clinical nurses with certain qualifications should be given the rights of some prescription form (independent prescription, prescription, prescription protocol extension) to prescribe specific drugs in high fever, hypoglycemia, hypertension, anaphylactic shock and other 11 specific circumstances. The nurses of the diabetes should be given the right of prescribing sulfonylureas, biguanides, glucosidase inhibitor, and protamine zinc insulin, and the right to write the prescription and consultation for part of medical equipment, health education, and four routine tests, which contains blood sugar monitoring, urine glucose monitoring, glycosylated hemoglobin assay, and oral glucose tolerance test. Tumor specialist nurses should be given the right to write the prescription of 7 specific circumstances including blood routine tests, electrocardiogram, blood biochemistry and other 9 laboratory tests, constipation, phlebitis, and cancer pain, and the right of 5 tumor emergency prescription including chemotherapy drug allergy, hemorrhagic shock, acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Nurses in emergency department with certain qualification should be given the right to prescribe specific drugs in 15 circumstances which include cardiac arrest, ventricular fibrillation, and acute cardiogenic chest pain. Community nurses with certain qualification should be given the right to write the prescriptions on 14 contents including disinfection and cleaning, sterile infusion type, and wound care products. Experts suggest that nursing undergraduate education in China should be added with 2 courses which are prescription rights related laws and regulations and nursing intervention, and that pharmacology course should be supplemented with related course in order to adapt to the implementation of nurse prescribing rights.ConclusionsChina's nurses with certain qualification or after special training have the ability to accept and should be given the right of prescriptions in certain circumstance within the scope of their work.