Nurse practitioners: An insight into their integration into Australian community pharmacies

Background: Nurse practitioners (NPs) are independent health professionals with prescribing rights, and have recently established primary care roles in pharmacies. Objective: To describe the roles of pharmacy-based NPs in Australia. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken onsite or by te...

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Main Authors: McMillan, S., Emmerton, Lynne
Format: Journal Article
Published: Elsevier Inc. 2013
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20364
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author McMillan, S.
Emmerton, Lynne
author_facet McMillan, S.
Emmerton, Lynne
author_sort McMillan, S.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Background: Nurse practitioners (NPs) are independent health professionals with prescribing rights, and have recently established primary care roles in pharmacies. Objective: To describe the roles of pharmacy-based NPs in Australia. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken onsite or by telephone, with 28 staff of all 9 Revive NP Clinics in Western Australia. Participants comprised NPs representing 6 practices and pharmacy staff of all 9 practices. Questions explored the NPs' scope of practice and staff collaboration. Data are descriptively reported. Results: The NPs undertook a range of services, including medication prescribing according to clinical guidelines, provision and ordering of diagnostic services, vaccine administration and provision of medical certificates. Community pharmacists reported to continue ensuring the safe and quality use of medicines and to counsel clients. Both pharmacists and NPs provided consumer medicine information leaflets. NPs are authorized to write prescriptions for Pharmacist-Only (S3) Medicines. Conclusions: NPs' primary healthcare roles appear to complement roles of community pharmacists. Potential exists for further collaboration and interdisciplinary care in health promotion and screening services. Clarification is needed with respect to prescribing and provision of Pharmacist-Only Medicines, and offering consumer medicines leaflets.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-203642019-02-19T05:35:00Z Nurse practitioners: An insight into their integration into Australian community pharmacies McMillan, S. Emmerton, Lynne Community pharmacy Nurse practitioner Collaboration Pharmacist Pharmacy services Background: Nurse practitioners (NPs) are independent health professionals with prescribing rights, and have recently established primary care roles in pharmacies. Objective: To describe the roles of pharmacy-based NPs in Australia. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken onsite or by telephone, with 28 staff of all 9 Revive NP Clinics in Western Australia. Participants comprised NPs representing 6 practices and pharmacy staff of all 9 practices. Questions explored the NPs' scope of practice and staff collaboration. Data are descriptively reported. Results: The NPs undertook a range of services, including medication prescribing according to clinical guidelines, provision and ordering of diagnostic services, vaccine administration and provision of medical certificates. Community pharmacists reported to continue ensuring the safe and quality use of medicines and to counsel clients. Both pharmacists and NPs provided consumer medicine information leaflets. NPs are authorized to write prescriptions for Pharmacist-Only (S3) Medicines. Conclusions: NPs' primary healthcare roles appear to complement roles of community pharmacists. Potential exists for further collaboration and interdisciplinary care in health promotion and screening services. Clarification is needed with respect to prescribing and provision of Pharmacist-Only Medicines, and offering consumer medicines leaflets. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20364 10.1016/j.sapharm.2012.09.001 Elsevier Inc. fulltext
spellingShingle Community pharmacy
Nurse practitioner
Collaboration
Pharmacist
Pharmacy services
McMillan, S.
Emmerton, Lynne
Nurse practitioners: An insight into their integration into Australian community pharmacies
title Nurse practitioners: An insight into their integration into Australian community pharmacies
title_full Nurse practitioners: An insight into their integration into Australian community pharmacies
title_fullStr Nurse practitioners: An insight into their integration into Australian community pharmacies
title_full_unstemmed Nurse practitioners: An insight into their integration into Australian community pharmacies
title_short Nurse practitioners: An insight into their integration into Australian community pharmacies
title_sort nurse practitioners: an insight into their integration into australian community pharmacies
topic Community pharmacy
Nurse practitioner
Collaboration
Pharmacist
Pharmacy services
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/20364