The foundations of good prescribing are quality engagement with trusted healthcare staff, access to knowledgeable and skilled personnel, and full involvement in decisions about care. Beginning with a discussion of how prescribing practices have evolved, this book then proceeds to outline how non-medical prescribing is now implemented from the perspectives of nurses, pharmacists and allied health professionals. It explores the impact on practice, and integrates the views and experiences of patients and service users, as individuals assume responsibility for their own health and select from a range of treatment options. The findings reported in this book describe the challenges posed by policy initiatives, the implications they have for healthcare personnel, and highlight areas in which further organisational change is required before the full impact of non-medical prescribing will be felt.

Contents:

* Forward
* Preface
* Introduction
1. Medicines and Prescribing, Past and Present
2. Nurse Prescribing, Impact, Education and Sustainability
3. Nurse Prescribers, From 2003-2006
4. Nurse Prescribing Experienced
5. Nurse Prescribing Observed
6. Pharmacists and Prescribing
7. Professions Allied to Medicines and Prescribing
8. Conclusions
*Index