NZNO Welcomes Move to Extend Nurse Prescribing

NZNO Welcomes Move to Extend Nurse Prescribing

“The move to extend prescribing rights to nurse practitioners will improve access to services and health outcomes and taps into the enormous potential of nurses to improve the delivery of health services,” says NZNO professional nursing advisor Susanne Trim.

“Nurse prescribing improves health outcomes by ensuring that consumers’ needs are delivered by qualified and regulated nurses and enables nurses to practice autonomously when they have the demonstrated skills, competence and qualifications,“ she said.

Susanne Trim said the nurses who will be prescribing are experienced and knowledgeable and have advanced clinical skills in specialist areas of care.

“Many health conditions are already treated by nurses and these nurses will be prescribing for conditions for which they have proved they are competent to do so, and nurses play a crucial role in the prevention, detection and treatment of disease,” she said.

Susanne Trim said NZNO was very confident about the strict competence requirements that Nursing Council of New Zealand had set up to regulate nurse prescribing.

“In many sectors, such as the rural sector, nurses are the primary health care provider. GP shortages and the extension of nursing practice over the last two decades have resulted in nurses successfully treating and managing illnesses and health issues that in the past were the domain of doctors,” she said.

Susanne Trim said one of the great strengths of the last few years has been improved relationships between nurses and doctors.

“Collaborative relationships are needed to detect, manage and treat illness and improve health outcomes,” she said.

“Nurse Practitioners will continue to work collaboratively with their medical colleagues in the interests of patients. Nurse prescribing is one tool to assist in comprehensive health care provision.”

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