title: Continuing professional development needs of nursing and allied health professionals with responsibility for prescribing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Continuing professional development (CPD) for non-medical prescribers is recognised as being pivotal in maintaining up -to -date knowledge and skills influencing prescribing competence. This study was, therefore, designed to ascertain the aspirations, priorities and preferred mode of CPD for non-medical prescribers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative data were derived from semi-structured in-depth interviews and a focus group given by 16 allied health professionals working in primary and secondary care settings. A topic guide was used to cover clinical decision-making (including difficult decisions), legal aspects of prescribing and diagnostic issues. A content analysis of the verbatim transcripts enabled four key emerging themes to be identified, thus offering a basis for developing a greater understanding of the CPD needs of non-medical prescribers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The four key emerging themes identified are the following: Theme 1: "Personal anxiety undermining confidence to prescribe", Theme 2: "External barriers and other factors that exacerbate anxiety", Theme 3: "Need for support identified through coping strategies", and Theme 4: "Preferred mode or style of learning".
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings suggest that anxiety and lack of confidence in non-medical prescribing pose a significant challenge for CPD. Strategies that are most likely to improve prescribing confidence are through a blended learning approach. Local higher education and workplace employer collaboration is an appropriate step forward to achieve this.
authors.affiliation: University of Derby, UK. Electronic address: r.weglicki@derby.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Weglicki
authors.affiliation: University of Derby, UK. Electronic address: j.reynolds@derby.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.affiliation: De Montfort University, UK. Electronic address: privers@dmu.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Peter H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Rivers
mesh_terms: D000488:Allied Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003657:Decision Making; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000451:nursing; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D036301:Qualitative Research; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: Continuing professional development; Inter-professional; Learning; Non-medical prescribing; Qualitative; Training