prescription drug monitoring programs among prescribing physicians H e a l t h M e d i c a l

Roles of Advanced Practice Nursing in Safe Prescribing

In most states, advanced practice nurses have got thee prescriptive authority, with others being legally authorized to prescribe substances that are controlled, including opioid painkillers. Both state and federal agencies have set limits on prescriptions, with the advanced practice nurses being urged to prescribe with caution. They have got a comprehensive assessment of prescribing treatment drugs. They also need to examine a wide range of treatment options when prescribing to their patients to enhance their safety. According to Kooienga and Wilkinson (2017), advanced practice nurses should vigilantly follow up and mitigate the substance’s possible use. Nurses in practice are always in the position to align the practice and research to optimize drug treatments, thus minimizing the risk of abuse. Nurse practitioners are in the front line of care delivery and are well-positioned to prescribing to the patients being guided by the policy. The nurses usually take coursework in pharmacology, thus better understanding the effects of pharmacological agents on patients. The curriculum of nurse practitioners also explores the responsibilities that are associated with prescribing medications and medication safety.

Prescribing Barriers of APRNs

APRNs describe challenges faced when it comes to accessing relevant information in the prescription of medication and incorporating this information into the practice. The software fails to have the function key for assessing the patient’s prescription safety. The limitations include lack of interoperability as the software interfaces other technology of health information. Other physician-related issues involve the physician professional organization believing that nurse practitioners do not have enough training to prescribe drugs safely to patients. According to Mastarone et al. (2020), state licensure is also another barrier as it regulates nurses’ practice to the fullest extent of their education and might limit them from prescribing drugs.

References

Kooienga, S., & Wilkinson, J. (2017, January). RN prescribing: an expanded role for nursing. In Nursing forum (Vol. 52, No. 1, pp. 3-11).

Mastarone, G. L., Wyse, J. J., Wilbur, E. R., Morasco, B. J., Saha, S., & Carlson, K. F. (2020). Barriers to Utilization of Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs Among Prescribing Physicians and Advanced Practice Registered Nurses at Veterans Health Administration facilities in Oregon. Pain Medicine, 21(4), 695-703.