title: Prescriptive Authority and Nursing: a comparative analysis of Brazil and Canada.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the differences between medication prescriptions by nurses in Brazil and Ontario, Canada.
  
  
  METHODS
  A comparative study between two different scenarios; this comparison was not performed between the two countries because Canada does not standardize this practice, which is legally established and is considered as an advanced professional knowledge area in Brazil.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prescription is a professional position to be occupied by nurses. However, there is tension surrounding this practice because it is perceived as a threat to privileges or traditions of other health professionals. Prescibing medication by nurses in Brazil and Ontario follows current legislation and training proccess in each context.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There are some challenges to be overcome in ensuring the visibility and consolidation of the practice by nurses in these realities: guarantee of professional competence, credibility, acceptability, and the respectability of clientele in your professional scope by other health professionals.
authors.affiliation: Associação Brasileira de Enfermagem, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Lígia dos Reis
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bellaguarda
authors.affiliation: Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Sioban
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Enfermagem, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Itayra
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Padilha
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jaime Alonso
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Caravaca-Morera
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D002170:Canada; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D006801:Humans; D057184:Practice Patterns, Nurses'