Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T01:28:12.341Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Nurse prescribing and the enhancement of mental health services

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2006

Peter Nolan ,
Eleanor Bradley  and
Neil Carr
Peter Nolan
Affiliation:
Professor of Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Health and Sciences, Staffordshire University, Stafford, UK
Eleanor Bradley
Affiliation:
Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Health and Sciences, Staffordshire University, Stafford, UK
Neil Carr
Affiliation:
Director of Nursing and Operations, South Staffordshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Stafford, UK
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Abstract

Mental health nurses are relative latecomers to nurse prescribing. This is primarily because nurse prescribing has been seen as more appropriate for general nurses, particularly those working in the community or primary care. Pharmacists and psychiatrists were concerned about the complexity of prescribing for clients with mental health problems and felt that the training of mental health nurses and their clinical experience did not fit them to take on a prescribing role. These, and other impressions, may have influenced which groups of nurses were first selected to become nurse prescribers. However, recent studies have indicated that mental health nurses add considerably to the effectiveness of assessments and care plans, and that they are in an ideal position to integrate drug treatments with a wide range of non-pharmacological therapies knowledgeably, safely, effectively and in a manner that is acceptable to the patient. They have also been found to have an important role to play in monitoring the side effects of drugs and in providing education about medication, and in maintaining a therapeutic alliance with clients on long-term drug treatment. Whatever the limitations, mental health nurses as prescribers may still be deemed to have by some professional groups, and even by themselves, at this stage in the evolution of nurse prescribing, it is now inevitable that they will play a significant part in the overall improvement of mental health services during this decade. They are likely to challenge the existing prescribing practices and help in identifying the conditions under which medication is most therapeutic.

Keywords

mental health nurse prescribingholistic care: concordancepharmacological interventionstherapeutic relationshipsmedicationprescribing by proxyside-effects
Type
Focus On
Information
Nurse Prescriber , Volume 1 , Issue 11 , November 2004 , pp. 1 - 9 , e207
Copyright
© 2006 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Brown P. Effective treatments for mental illness are not being used (editorial). Br Med J. 2001;323:769.Google Scholar
Thomas CM, Morris S. Cost of depression among adults in England in 2000. Br J Psychiatr. 2003; 183:514–9.Google Scholar
Laurance J. Pure Madness, London: Routledge, Toronto 2003
Laraia MT. Psychopharmacology. In: Stuart G, Laraia MT, editors. Principles and practice of psychiatric nursing. St. Louis, Mosby, MI; 2000. pp. 572–607.
Gournay K, Gray R. Should mental health nurses prescribe? London: Maudsley Discussion Paper Series, No. 11; 2001.
Hales A. Perspectives on prescribing: pioneers' narratives and advice. Perspect Psychiatr Care. 2002; 38 (3):79–88.Google Scholar
Lam RW. Patients' preferences and counselling for depression in primary care. Lancet. 2001;357:575–6.Google Scholar
Badger F, Nolan P. Caring for people with depression. Nurs Stand. 2002;16:33–6.Google Scholar
Healy D. The creation of psychopharmacology. Toronto: Lorimer; 2002.
Shell RC. Antidepressant prescribing practices of nurse practitioners. Nurse Pract. 2001;26 (7):42–8.Google Scholar
Greenhalgh T, Gill P. Pressure to prescribe. Br Med J. 1997;315:1482–3.Google Scholar
DoH. Your Guide to the NHS: Getting the most from your National Health Service. London: DoH; 2001.
Human Rights Act. London: The Stationery Office; 1998.
Cumberlege J. A triumph of sense over tradition: the development of nurse prescribing. Nurse Prescrib. 2003;1:10–4.Google Scholar
Nazareth I, King M, Davies S. Care of schizophrenia in general practice: the general practitioner and the patient. Br J Gen Pract. 1995;45:343–7.Google Scholar
Jordan S, Hardy B, Coleman M. Medication management: an exploratory study into the role of community mental health nurses. J Adv Nurs. 1999;29:1068–81.Google Scholar
Rees L, Lipsedge M, Ball C. Textbook of psychiatry. London: Arnold; 1997.
Coombs T, Deane F, Lambert G, Griffiths R. What influences patients' medication adherence? Mental health nurse perspectives and a need for education and training. Int J Ment Health Nurs. 2003;12 (2):148–52.Google Scholar
Aldridge S. Nurse practitioners are a hit with patients. Br Med J. 2002;324:819–23.Google Scholar
Chief Nursing Officer. Prescribing – a supplement of the CNO Bulletin on nurse prescribing. The CNO Bulletin. Department of Health, UK. January 2004 (view website here; accessed 15/11/04).
Donovan JL, Blake DR. Patient compliance: deviance or reasoned decision-making? Soc Sci Med. 1992;34:507–13.Google Scholar
Corrigan PW. Adherence to anti-psychotic medication and health behaviour theories. J Ment Health. 2002;11:243–54.Google Scholar
Maslen C, Rees L, Redfern P. Role of community pharmacist in the care of patients with chronic schizophrenia in the community. Int J Pharm Pract. 1996;4:187–95.Google Scholar
Godin P. The development of community psychiatric nursing: a professional project. J Adv Nurs. 1996;23:925–34.Google Scholar
Frank E, Kupfer DJ. Peeking through the door to the 21st century. Arch Gen Psychiatr. 2000;57:83–5.Google Scholar
Clark JM, Maben J, Jones K. Project 2000 – perceptions of the philosophy and practice of nursing preparation: preparation for practice. J Adv Nurs. 1997;26:246–56.Google Scholar
Towers J. Lessons from America. In: Jones M, editor. Nurse prescribing: politics to practice. Edinburgh: Bailliere Tindall & Royal College of Nursing; 1999.
Hem M, Heggen K. Being professional and being human: one nurse's relationship with a psychiatric patient. J Adv Nurs. 2003;43 (1):101–8.Google Scholar
Hales A, Dignam D. Nurse prescribing – lessons from the US. Kai Tiaki Nurs New Zeal. 2002; 10 (8):14–7.
Hickie IB. An approach to managing depression in general practice. Med J Aust. 2000;173:106–10.Google Scholar
Ashworth PD, Gerrish K, McManus P. Whither nursing? Discourses underlying the attribution of master's level performance in nursing. J Adv Nurs. 2001;34:621–8.Google Scholar
Taylor D, McConnell D, McConnell H, Abel K. The Bethlem & Maudsley NHS Trust Prescribing Guidelines. London: Dunitz; 1999.
Saur CD, Ford SM. Quality, cost-effective psychiatric treatment: a CNS–MD collaborative practice model. Arch Psychiatr Nurs. 1995;9 (6):332–7.Google Scholar
Mundinger MO, Kane RL, Lenz ER, Totten AM, Tsai WY. Primary care outcomes in patients treated by nurse practitioners or physicians: a randomised controlled trial. J Am Med Assoc. 2000;283:59–68.Google Scholar
Jamison KR. Touched with fire. New York: Simon & Schuster; 1993.
Berger J, Mohr J. A fortunate man: the story of a country doctor. Middlesex: Penguin; 1967.
Glover J. A moral history of the twentieth century. London: Jonathan Cape; 1999.
Kendrick K. Why can't GPs follow guidelines on depression? Br Med J. 2000;320:200–1.Google Scholar
Barr O, Sines D. The development of the generalist nurse within pre-registration nurse education in the UK: some points for consideration. Nurse Educ Today. 1996;16:274–7.Google Scholar
Bower P, Sibbald B. (2000) Systematic review of the effect of on-site health professionals on the clinical behaviour of general practitioners. British Medical Journal, 320, 614–617
Jorm AF. Mental health literacy. Br J Psychiatr. 2000;177:394–401.Google Scholar
Fischer W, Goerg D, Zbinden E. Determining factors and the effects of attitudes towards psychotropic medication. In: Guimon J, Fischer W, Sortorius N, editors. Images of madness – the public face of mental illness and psychiatric treatment. Basel: Karger; pp. 162–86.
Moynagh M, Worsley R. Tomorrow report. London: Department for Education and Employment; 2000.
Simons L, Mynors-Wallis L, Pickering R, Gray A, Brooking J, Thompson C, Kendrick T. A randomised controlled trial of problem solving for anxiety, depression and life difficulties by community psychiatric nurses among general practice patients: background and method. Primary Care Psychiatr. 2001;4:129–38.Google Scholar
Tandon R, Jibson M. Efficacy of newer generation antipsychotics in the treatment of schizophrenia. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2003;23:9–26.Google Scholar
Horne R. Adherence to medication: a review of existing research. In: Myers L, Midence K, editors. Adherence to treatment in medical conditions. Amsterdam: Harwood Academic Publishers; 1998. pp. 285–310.
Doran CM. Prescribing mental health medication. London and New York: Routledge; 2003.
Gask L, Rogers A, Oliver D, May C, Roland M. Qualitative study of patients' perceptions of the quality of care for depression in general practice. Br J Gen Pract. 2003;53:278–83.Google Scholar
Bentall RP, Morrison A. More harm than good: the case against using anti-psychotic drugs to prevent severe mental illness. J Ment Health. 2002;11:351–6.Google Scholar
Delgado P. Approaches to the enhancement of patient adherence to antidepressant medication treatment. J Clin Psychiatr. 2000;61 (Suppl 2):6–9.Google Scholar
Pampallona S, Bollini P, Tibaldi G, Kupelnick B, Munizza C. Patient adherence in the treatment of depression. Br J Psychiatr. 2002;180:104–9.Google Scholar
Lin EHB, Von Korff M, Katon W. The role of the primary care physician in patients' adherence to antidepressant therapy. Med Care. 1995;33:67–74.Google Scholar
Beaver K, Luker KA, Owens RG, Leinster SJ, Degner LF. Treatment decision-making in women newly diagnosed with breast cancer. Cancer Nurs. 1996;19:8–19.Google Scholar
Sacks O. Awakenings. New York: Dutton; 1983.
Broody H. Stories of sickness. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2003.
Makoul G, Arntson P, Schofield T. Health promotion in primary care: physician–patient communication and decision making about prescription medication. Soc Sci Med. 1995;41 (9):1241–54.Google Scholar
Horne R, Weinmann J. Patients' beliefs about prescribed medicines and their role in adherence to treatment in chronic physical illness. J Psychosom Res. 1999;47 (6):555–67.Google Scholar
Schulberg H, Katon W, Simon GE, Rush J, et al. Treating major depression in primary care practice. An update of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research Practice Guidelines. Arch Gen Psychiatr. 1998;55:1121–7.Google Scholar
Geddes JR, Freemantle N, Mason J, Eccles MP, Boynton J. SSRIs versus other antidepressants for depressive disorder. The Cochrane Library 2. Update Software, 2000.Google Scholar
Marland GR. Atypical neuroleptics: autonomy and compliance? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 29:615–622
Pollock K, Grime J. Patients' perceptions of entitlement to time. Br Med J. 2002;325:1–6.Google Scholar
Dancy M. ‘Interviews with patients better than surveys for generating change' by Mahoney C. Br Med J, 22 Mar 2003;326 (7390):618. doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7390.618/d (view article; accessed 15/11/04).Google Scholar
Steele DJ, Jackson TC, Gutmann MC. Have you been taking your pills? The adherence-monitoring sequence in the medical interview. J Fam Pract. 1990;30:294–9.Google Scholar
Wilkinson G, Moore B, Moore P. Treating people with depression. A practical guide for primary care. Abingdon: Radcliffe Medical Press; 1999.
Dowel J, Hudson H. A qualitative study of medication-taking behaviour in primary care. Fam Pract. 1987;14:369–75.Google Scholar
Asen E, Tomson D, Tomson P, Young V. Ten minutes for the family. London: Routledge; 2004.