Perspectives of nurses' role in interprofessional pharmaceutical care across 14 European countries: A qualitative study in pharmacists, physicians and nurses

Pharmaceutical Care in Primary Healthcare-A Study of Nurses', Pharmacists', and Physicians' Experiences of Interprofessional Collaboration

Implementation of pharmaceutical care for the benefit of patients and health services has been highlighted worldwide. Interprofessional collaboration between nurses, pharmacists, and physicians may contribute to raising awareness of pharmacological challenges, increasing quality, and minimising errors in pharmaceutical care. This study aimed to investigate how nurses, pharmacists, and physicians experience interprofessional collaboration in pharmaceutical care within community healthcare in Norway. The study had an explorative and descriptive design with a qualitative approach. Individual interviews were conducted with 12 healthcare personnel with key roles in pharmaceutical care within community healthcare services. The data were analysed using systematic text condensation. The results revealed three categories and four subcategories: The category "Professional challenges" contained the subcategories "Blurred responsibilities" and "The importance of trust and continuity". The category "Organisational barriers" contained the subcategories "Lack of information exchange and suitable communications channels" and "Lack of time and meeting places". The third category was "Nurses-the important link". This study reveals challenges to and factors of success in increasing high-quality and safe pharmaceutical care, knowledge that can be used in quality work in the community health services and as input in curriculum development for the three professions.

Effects of interprofessional practice on nursing workload in hospitals: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To synthesise scientific evidence on interprofessional practice in hospital care and the effects on nursing workload.

METHODS

Systematic mixed method review, registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021225627) and conducted in the following databases: CINAHL, Medline, Web of Science and Scopus, with no restrictions on the publication period of the studies. Primary studies were recruited on nurses' interprofessional practice (actions and interactions with other professional categories) in hospitals and the effects on one or more dimensions of nursing workload (quantitative, qualitative, physical, cognitive, emotional, time and variation). Scientific articles available in open access, in English, Spanish or Portuguese, were included. The searches were carried out in January 2021. The studies were evaluated by pairs of independent researchers to verify methodological quality, through the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool, and data extraction. To summarise the studies, thematic analysis was adopted.

RESULTS

A total of 1774 publications were assessed for eligibility and 17 studies were included. Of these, two were mixed methods, four were qualitative, and 11 were quantitative, published between 2011 and 2020. The main scenarios investigated were Intensive Care Units and/or Inpatient Units. During data analysis, three thematic categories emerged: Interprofessional practice in coping with emotional overload; Time dedicated by nurses to professional communication; and Working conditions and patient care. The third category consisted of three subthemes: Conflict and flexibility in the context of practice; Working conditions and interprofessional practice; and Effects on patient care.

CONCLUSIONS

The evidence points to the emotional overload of nurses in the face of uncooperative practices. Interprofessional actions, especially communicative ones, demand nurses' time and impact the care provided. The results contribute to political decisions and health work management.

Interpretative phenomenological analysis of the collaboration among healthcare professionals in the nursing home setting

Background

The theory of planned behavior (TPB) postulates that behavioral performance is guided by the intention to perform that behavior, influenced by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. This framework can be applied to studying interprofessional collaboration among healthcare professionals to enhance patient safety and public health within nursing homes.

Objectives

This study aimed to explore the roles of physicians, pharmacists, and nurses in the interprofessional collaboration process while identifying facilitators and barriers to effective collaboration among healthcare professionals.

Methods

A qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was carried out. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 healthcare professionals. Qualitative data were then integrated and analyzed through the lens of the TPB.

Findings

The IPA revealed the ten following themes, considered as both facilitators and barriers to interprofessional collaboration among healthcare professionals in the nursing home setting: communication, roles and responsibilities, willingness and recognition of collaboration's importance, mutual knowledge, trust, confidence, support from decision-makers, protocols, and technology were considered as facilitators while distance was considered as a barrier.

Conclusion

Enhancing pharmacist-physician collaboration and refining pharmacist-nurse collaboration were essential goals. Intention for collaboration was influenced by attitudes (such as communication and mutual understanding), subjective norms (including support from decision-makers), and perceived behavioral control (such as confidence and adherence to protocols and technology). Addressing these factors could improve collaboration, enhancing residents' quality of life and professionals' sense of achievement.

Cross-sectional evaluation of pharmaceutical care competences in nurse education: how well do curricula prepare students of different educational levels?

BACKGROUND

Nurses play an important role in interprofessional pharmaceutical care. Curricula related to pharmaceutical care, however, vary a lot. Mapping the presence of pharmaceutical care related domains and competences in nurse educational programs can lead to a better understanding of the extent to which curricula fit expectations of the labour market. The aim of this study was to describe 1) the presence of pharmaceutical care oriented content in nursing curricula at different educational levels and 2) nursing students' perceived readiness to provide nurse pharmaceutical care in practice.

METHODS

A quantitative cross-sectional survey design was used. Nursing schools in 14 European countries offering educational programs for levels 4-7 students were approached between January and April 2021. Through an online survey final year students had to indicate to what extent pharmaceutical care topics were present in their curriculum.

RESULTS

A total of 1807 students participated, of whom 8% had level 4-5, 80% level 6, 12% level 7. Up to 84% of the students indicated that pharmaceutical care content was insufficiently addressed in their curriculum. On average 14% [range 0-30] felt sufficiently prepared to achieve the required pharmaceutical care competences in practice. In level 5 curricula more pharmaceutical care domains were absent compared with other levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Although several pharmaceutical care related courses are present in current curricula of level 4-7 nurses, its embedding should be extended. Too many students perceive an insufficient preparation to achieve pharmaceutical care competences required in practice. Existing gaps in pharmaceutical care should be addressed to offer more thoroughly prepared nurses to the labour market.

A hidden gem in multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship: a systematic review on bedside nurses' activities in daily practice regarding antibiotic use

Background

Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS), the set of actions to ensure antibiotics are used appropriately, is increasingly targeted at all those involved in the antimicrobial pathway, including nurses. Several healthcare organizations have issued position statements on how bedside nurses can be involved in AMS. However, it remains unclear how nurses, in reality, contribute to appropriate antibiotic use.

Objectives

To systematically search the literature to describe the activities bedside nurses perform regarding antibiotic use in daily clinical practice, in relation to the activities proposed by the aforementioned position statements.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and grey literature until March 2021. Studies were included if they described activities regarding antibiotic use performed by bedside nurses. Methodological rigour was assessed by applying the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool.

Results

A total of 118 studies were included. The majority of the proposed nurses' activities were found in daily practice, categorized into assessment of clinical status, collection of specimens, management of antimicrobial medication, prompting review and educating patient and relatives. Nurses may take the lead in these clinical processes and are communicators in all aspects of the antimicrobial pathway. Patient advocacy appears to be a strong driver of bedside nurses' activities.

Conclusions

Nurses' activities are already integrated in the day-to-day nursing practice and are grounded in the essence of nursing, being a patient advocate and showing nursing leadership in safeguarding the antimicrobial treatment process. An essential element of the nursing role is communication with other stakeholders in the patient-centred antimicrobial pathway. Educating, engaging and empowering nurses in this already integrated role, could lead to a solid, impactful nursing contribution to AMS.

Nurses and Physicians' Perceptions Regarding the Role of Oncology Clinical Nurse Specialists in an Exploratory Qualitative Study

The purpose of the study was to examine the attitudes of nursing and medical teams about the role of oncology clinical nurse specialists in the healthcare system in Israel, where, unlike many countries in the world, such a role has not yet been developed or professionally defined. We conducted 24 interviews with physicians and nurses between August and October 2021. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a thematic analysis method. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research checklist was used to report the study. Five main themes emerged from the interviews: (1) contribution to the healthcare system, (2) contribution to the patient, (3) drawing professional boundaries, (4) additional responsibilities and authority for oncology clinical nurse specialists, and (5) the field's readiness for a new position of oncology clinical nurse specialists. The findings provide evidence about the need to develop the role of clinical nurse specialists in the oncology field due to its potential benefits for nurses, physicians, patients, family members, and the healthcare system. At the same time, an in-depth exploration of the boundaries of the role and its implementation, in full cooperation with the oncologists and relevant professional unions, is needed to prevent unnecessary conflicts in the oncology field. Professional development training programs in nursing must create a platform for open dialogue between key stakeholders, nurses, and physicians, in order to help all involved parties, place the benefits to the patients above any personal or status considerations.

Identifying the Enablers and Barriers to Advance Nurse Prescribing of Medication in Spain According to Experts' Views: A Delphi Study

Nurses play an important role in pharmaceutical care worldwide in detecting clinical changes, communicating and discussing pharmacotherapy with patients, their families, and other healthcare professionals, proposing and implementing drug-related interventions, and ensuring the monitoring of patients and their medication regimens, among others. However, there is no global consensus across countries regarding the prescribing of medication by nurses. In Spain, for example, this topic is currently in transition since the approval of the Royal Decree 1302/2018 of October 22nd, which regulates the indication, use, and authorization for dispensing human-use medication by nurses. Our study aims to identify the enablers and barriers to advancing the nurse prescribing of medication in Spain through the views of experts in the field and according to the latest Royal Decree approved and the steps taken by the different Spanish autonomous communities. A modified qualitative Delphi study with three iterations was performed online through the perspectives of experts from the field of healthcare education, research, practice, management, and policy. Data extracted from the literature review were used to formulate the open-ended questions utilized in the three rounds. The experts involved (n = 15) belonged to different Spanish regions where the Royal Decree is being implemented with different speeds, and had distinct backgrounds and experiences. Our results highlight the importance of prospectively developing additional protocols based on chronic diseases as well as scaling up towards independent nursing prescription, the inclusion of a joint multidisciplinary pharmaceutical care model, the controversial role played by national nursing councils and boards, the variability in the speed of implementation among the autonomous communities, and the lack of nursing training in the field of medication prescription.

[The role of nurses in pharmaceutical care in Germany: A qualitative analysis]

BACKGROUND

In 13 European countries, laws have been passed that allow nurses to prescribe medicines, but mostly within a limited framework and with a doctor involved. Germany is not among these countries. Only the prescription of medical aids has already been included into the development of extended nursing competencies. We investigated the views of the health care professions involved (doctors, pharmacists and nurses) regarding the role of nurses in pharmaceutical care.

METHOD

We conducted 22 semi-structured interviews with 23 members of the three professional groups involved in the European research project DeMoPhaC. These data collected in Germany were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Five main categories were developed.

RESULTS

Pharmaceutical care by nurses can be described within the following main categories: 1. Knowledge and competences, 2. Patient care, 3. Communication, 4. Multi-professional team and 5. System. The communication between the professional groups involved and with patients and caregivers is of particular importance. Interaction in the multi-professional team is just as crucial. Pharmaceutical care takes place within the health system which sets the framework and often boundaries as well. The current and ideally conceived roles of nurses are seen differently in the respondents' respective contexts. Between the professional groups there is both agreement and dissent on the topics addressed. However, the development of nursing roles requires collaborative and transparent processes in teams and organisations. Particularly in the hospital setting, the participants saw a great need for change in order to achieve cooperation at eye level.

DISCUSSION

The results show that nurses play their role in the complex field of pharmaceutical care under very heterogeneous circumstances. The empowerment of nurses, which was called for by some participants, cannot be achieved from within the professional group alone. Cooperation from all the players involved is needed. The development of nursing roles in the medication process with simultaneous expansion of qualifications and competences can contribute to making the nursing role more attractive. Clear role models promote the transparency of processes for all involved. If all players know what they can expect of nurses, tasks can be redistributed in the multiprofessional team.

CONCLUSION

The above-mentioned diversity of perspectives can be a resource for development and individual solutions. However, it can also be interpreted negatively as a sign of uncertainty and less standardised ways of working. In view of the data evaluated here, the prescription of medicines by non-medical professionals remains a distant goal for developments in the German health care system. First of all, structures and processes are required that permanently guarantee safe pharmaceutical care with equal participation of all relevant stakeholders.

Home care nurses’ management of high-risk medications: a cross-sectional study

Background

High-risk medications use at home entails an increased risk of significant harm to the patient. While interventions and strategies to improve medications care have been implemented in hospitals, it remains unclear how this type of medications care is provided in the home care setting. The objective was to describe home care nurses’ management of high-risk medications.

Methods

A cross-sectional, descriptive design was set up in home care nurses in Flanders, Belgium. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling and could be included in the study if they provided medications care and worked as a home care nurses. Participants completed an online structured questionnaire. Questions were asked about demographic information, work experience, nurses’ general attitude regarding high-risk medications, contact with high-risk medications and the assessment of risk and severity of harm, specific initiatives undertaken to improve high-risk medications care and the use of additional measures when dealing with high-risk medications. Descriptive statistics were used.

Results

A total of 2283 home care nurses participated in this study. In our study, 98% of the nurses reported dealing high-risk medications. Home care nurses dealt the most with anticoagulants (96%), insulin (94%) and hypnotics and sedatives (87%). Most nurses took additional measures with high-risk medications in less than 25% of the cases, with the individual double check being the most performed measure for all high-risk medications except lithium. Nurses employed by an organization received support mostly in the form of a procedure while self-employed nurses mostly look for support through external organizations and information sources.

Conclusions

The study shows several gaps regarding high-risk medications care, which can imply safety risks. Implementation and evaluation of more standardized high-risk medications care, developing and implementing procedures or guidelines and providing continuous training for home care nurses are advised.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40545-022-00476-2.

Understanding pharmaceutical care and nurse prescribing in Spain: A grounded theory approach through healthcare professionals' views and expectations

BACKGROUND

Pharmaceutical care has been implemented and regulated differently across Europe with no consensus among countries in relation with professional competencies and especially on nurse prescribing. Demophac Project funded by the European Commission aims to develop a Pan-European Pharmaceutical Care Model with collaboration of 14 partner teams across Europe including Spain where nurse prescribing is starting its implementation at regional level. The aim of the study was to increase understanding of the role of nurses in Pharmaceutical care in Spain after the Nurse Prescribing Regulation approved in 2018 throughout exploring the views and expectations of health professionals involved in the representative settings.

METHODS AND FINDINGS

In depth interviews were conducted in a structure previously agreed by the European Demophac partnership around four topics associated with the Nursing ideal role in pharmaceutical care and the ideal interaction with other healthcare professionals. A grounded-theory approach based on Corbin & Strauss was conducted to interpret collected data from the Spanish most representative settings (primary care, specialized care and residential care for older population). Participants were health professionals involved in pharmaceutical care that accepted to participate (nurses (n = 7), physicians (n = 8) and pharmacists (n = 9)). A pharmaceutical care comprehensive model for the Spanish context considering the recently approved Nurse Prescribing role and the interprofessional collaboration and communication was developed towards facilitating the understanding in such context and the contribution to the unified European Demophac Framework.

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses are primarily responsible for population's Pharmaceutical Care while other professionals pivot on them to provide quality healthcare on a multidisciplinary level. Nurse prescribing may contribute efficiently to the Spanish Health System though more consensus in terms of nurses' training nationwide and enhancement in communication among different professionals within healthcare organizations is required to achieve adequate integrated care into practice.

Beliefs about medication after hospital discharge in geriatric patients with polypharmacy

OBJECTIVES

To describe beliefs about medication in geriatric patients with polypharmacy post-discharge and to evaluate the impact of discharge management on patients' medication beliefs.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2019 and March 2020 in twelve general hospitals in Belgium. Four hundred geriatric patients with polypharmacy were surveyed at hospital discharge and two to five days post-discharge using the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire and self-developed questionnaires.

RESULTS

According to participants, the benefits of medication outweighed the disadvantages as the mean necessity score (19.4/25) outweighed the mean concern score (11.9/25). Patients receiving help with medication management post-discharge had stronger necessity-, concern- and overuse-related beliefs. No patient- or discharge management-related factors were significant predictors of medication beliefs.

CONCLUSIONS

Assessing patients' medication beliefs and identifying and addressing patients' concerns, can be an opportunity to improve medication use, to prevent non-adherence and to enhance safe medication practices at home.

The NUPHAC-EU Framework for Nurses' Role in Interprofessional Pharmaceutical Care: Cross-Sectional Evaluation in Europe

Clear role descriptions promote the quality of interprofessional collaboration. Currently, it is unclear to what extent healthcare professionals consider pharmaceutical care (PC) activities to be nurses’ responsibility in order to obtain best care quality. This study aimed to create and evaluate a framework describing potential nursing tasks in PC and to investigate nurses’ level of responsibility. A framework of PC tasks and contextual factors was developed based on literature review and previous DeMoPhaC project results. Tasks and context were cross-sectionally evaluated using an online survey in 14 European countries. A total of 923 nurses, 240 physicians and 199 pharmacists responded. The majority would consider nurses responsible for tasks within: medication self-management (86–97%), patient education (85–96%), medication safety (83–95%), monitoring adherence (82–97%), care coordination (82–95%), and drug monitoring (78–96%). The most prevalent level of responsibility was ‘with shared responsibility’. Prescription management tasks were considered to be nurses’ responsibility by 48–81% of the professionals. All contextual factors were indicated as being relevant for nurses’ role in PC by at least 74% of the participants. No task nor contextual factor was removed from the framework after evaluation. This framework can be used to enable healthcare professionals to openly discuss allocation of specific (shared) responsibilities and tasks.

Nurses and Pharmaceutical Care: Interprofessional, Evidence-Based Working to Improve Patient Care and Outcomes

Pharmaceutical care necessitates significant efforts from patients, informal caregivers, the interprofessional team of health care professionals and health care system administrators. Collaboration, mutual respect and agreement amongst all stakeholders regarding responsibilities throughout the complex process of pharmaceutical care is needed before patients can take full advantage of modern medicine. Based on the literature and policy documents, in this position paper, we reflect on opportunities for integrated evidence-based pharmaceutical care to improve care quality and patient outcomes from a nursing perspective. Despite the consensus that interprofessional collaboration is essential, in clinical practice, research, education and policy-making challenges are often not addressed interprofessionally. This paper concludes with specific advises to move towards the implementation of more interprofessional, evidence-based pharmaceutical care.