title: Stakeholder views on the impact of nurse prescribing on dermatology services.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore stakeholder views on the impact of nurse prescribing on dermatology services.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Nurse led care enhances the services that dermatology patients receive. Research indicates that care delivered by nurse prescribers can improve efficiency and access to medicines. There is no evidence exploring the impact of nurse prescribing on the configuration of dermatology services.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case study.
  
  
  METHODS
  A collective case study of 10 practice settings across England where nurses prescribed medicines for dermatology patients. A thematic analysis of semi-structured interview data collected during 2006 and 2007. Participants were qualified nurse prescribers, administrative staff, doctors and non-nurse prescribers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nurse prescribing was reported to support and facilitate the modernisation of dermatology services. It enabled nurses to make effective use of their knowledge and skills, overcome delays in treatment and provide faster access to medicines. However several organisational issues restricted the success of the initiative.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nurse prescribing is successfully being used to support and deliver a range of services to dermatology patients. Stakeholders reported that both patients and staff had benefited by the adoption of this role by nurses. However issues over support and access to CPD and capacity of the workforce were identified as potential barriers which could affect the contribution of nurse prescribing to dermatology patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nurse prescribing contributes to the services provided to dermatology patients; Nurse supplementary prescribing contributes to the ability of dermatology nurse specialists to work in teams and prescribe complex medicines; Provision of adequate support and strategic planning are essential if the impact of nurse prescribing is to be fully realised.
authors.affiliation: School of Health and Social Care, University of Reading, Reading, UK. n.j.carey@reading.ac.uk
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stenner
authors.forename: Molly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Courtenay
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003880:Dermatology; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D006801:Humans; D009726:Nurses; D000078329:Workforce