ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Nurses in Catalonia have always prescribed health advice, health products, and medication in line with the professional competency of the discipline. Legislation about nurse prescriptions and the implementation of nurse prescribing varies widely among different countries. This article reports data regarding nurse prescribing in Catalonia in 2021 and 2022. METHODS: This retrospective longitudinal study analyzed data from all care-providing units in Catalonia's integrated public health system. RESULTS: The number of nurse prescriptions increased from 139,435 in 2021 to 573,822 in 2022, and the number of nurses issuing prescriptions increased from 3604 in 2021 to 5563 in 2022. The proportion of prescriptions for different products was similar in the two years analyzed. Prescriptions for medication increased by 7.5% in 2022. CONCLUSIONS: Nurse prescribing is a recent advance in Catalonia. Despite some difficulties in rollout, the data indicate that this practice is becoming consolidated, as in other European countries.
ABSTRACT
OBJETIVO: Evaluar los resultados de la gestión enfermera de la demanda de pacientes no programados en el centro de atención primaria, siguiendo un circuito y una guía clínica diseñada y consensuada por el equipo. DISEÑO: Estudio descriptivo transversal. PARTICIPANTES: Muestra aleatoria de 558 pacientes que demandaron consulta el mismo día, atendidos entre el 1 mayo de 2011 y el 31 de enero de 2012. Intervención: La guía desarrollada describe 23 problemas de salud de posible resolución autónoma por parte de la enfermera y 18 de posible intervención de urgencia, con una resolución compartida con el médico. Cada problema de salud está dividido en 3 apartados: a) breve definición del problema; b) algoritmo de actuación y; c) posibles diagnósticos enfermeros de la North American Nursing Diagnosis Association más habituales para cada problema de salud y las posibles intervenciones de enfermería. RESULTADOS: Los 558 pacientes estudiados presentaron una edad media de 42,5 (DE: 17,7) años. El motivo de consulta que se atendió con mayor frecuencia fueron los síntomas respiratorios de vías altas (19,4%), seguidos de las diarreas/vómitos (16,5%) y heridas/quemaduras (12,5%). La enfermera resolvió un 73,3% de los casos atendidos. El 65,8% de los pacientes atendidos recibió consejos de salud y los fármacos más indicados fueron los analgésicos y antiinflamatorios (56%). DISCUSIÓN: La gestión enfermera de la demanda ha demostrado presentar una alta resolución de las afecciones atendidas, aportando a la vez un porcentaje elevado de consejos de salud y de educación sanitaria en las visitas atendidas
OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the health outcomes of nurse demand management on unscheduled patients in a Primary Care Centre, following a clinical guide designed by the whole primary care team. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: A primary care team from Castelldefels. Barcelona, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 558 patients requesting a consultation for the same day in a Primary Care setting, attended between May 1st, 2011 and January 31st, 2012. Intervention: The guide includes 23 health problems that can be dealt by a nurse autonomously, 18 of them possibly requiring an emergency intervention, and shared decision with the physician. Each health problem is divided into three sections: a) a brief definition of the problem; b) an intervention algorithm; and c) nursing diagnoses of North American Nursing Diagnosis Association for each health problem and a description of the possible nursing interventions. RESULTS: We studied 558 patients with a mean age of 42.5 years old (SD 17.7). The most commonly consulted problems were upper respiratory tract symptoms (19.4%), followed by nausea/vomiting (16.5%), and burns/wounds (12.5%).73.3% of the problems were resolved autonomously by a nurse.65,8% of the patients attended received health advice. DISCUSSION: Nurse demand management has shown to be highly effective at handling the conditions attended, while it provides a high percentage of health advice and education during consultations
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Female , Adolescent , Young Adult , Adult , Middle Aged , Aged , Nurse's Role , Nurses, Public Health , Nurse-Patient Relations , /legislation & jurisprudence , Employee Performance Appraisal/methods , Employee Performance Appraisal , Primary Health Care/methods , Primary Health Care , Basic Health Services , Epidemiology, Descriptive , Cross-Sectional Studies/methods , Cross-Sectional Studies , Spain , /standardsABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: to evaluate the health outcomes of nurse demand management on unscheduled patients in a Primary Care Centre, following a clinical guide designed by the whole primary care team. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: A primary care team from Castelldefels. Barcelona, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: A random sample of 558 patients requesting a consultation for the same day in a Primary Care setting, attended between May 1st, 2011 and January 31st, 2012. INTERVENTION: The guide includes 23 health problems that can be dealt by a nurse autonomously, 18 of them possibly requiring an emergency intervention, and shared decision with the physician. Each health problem is divided into three sections: a) a brief definition of the problem; b) an intervention algorithm; and c) nursing diagnoses of North American Nursing Diagnosis Association for each health problem and a description of the possible nursing interventions. RESULTS: We studied 558 patients with a mean age of 42.5 years old (SD 17.7). The most commonly consulted problems were upper respiratory tract symptoms (19.4%), followed by nausea/vomiting (16.5%), and burns/wounds (12.5%). 73.3% of the problems were resolved autonomously by a nurse. 65,8% of the patients attended received health advice. DISCUSSION: Nurse demand management has shown to be highly effective at handling the conditions attended, while it provides a high percentage of health advice and education during consultations.
