Establishing priorities on the range of conditions managed by UK community practitioner nurse prescribers: A modified Delphi consensus study

Abstract

Aim: To provide national consensus on the range of conditions community practitioner nurse prescribers manage and for which it is considered important that they can prescribe.

Background: Around 35,000 community practitioner nurse prescribers in the United Kingdom are able to prescribe from a limited formulary. Although prescribing is a key role for these nurses, there has been a decline in the numbers of community practitioner nurse prescribers who prescribe. It is evident that changing patterns of client and service delivery, changes the role of community nurses and the conditions they manage, however, little is known about the conditions community practitioner nurse prescribers manage.

Design and methods: A modified Delphi approach comprising three on-line surveys delivered to a national Expert Panel of 89 qualified community practitioner prescribers. Data collection took place between January-March 2017.

Results: Panelists reached a consensus, with consistent high levels of agreement reached, on nineteen conditions for which it is believed community practitioner nurse prescribers should be able to prescribe. Conditions identified by school nurses (N = 12) and health visitors (N = 7) were mainly acutely focused, whereas those identified by district nurses (N = 9) and community staff nurses (N = 6) included both long-term and acute conditions.

Conclusion: Given the high degree of consensus, this list of conditions should influence any decisions about the items community and public health nurses should be able to prescribe. The findings should also influence the education and training of these nurses.

Keywords: community and public health nurses; community staff nurses; condition management; district nurses; health visitors; modified Delphi; nurse prescribers; nurse prescribing; school nurses.