Nurse prescribing in Polish nurses’ opinions. A comparative study between 2016 and 2021

Background.The dynamic development of medical sciences and the assumption of new roles by nurses have led nursing to become a more complex profession, allowing professional management of patient care.In 2016, Polish legislation expanded the scope of nursing responsibilities to include prescription writing.Objectives.The aim of this study was to compare nurses' opinions on prescription writing at two times: at the beginning and after a period of five years since the expansion of nurses' competencies in prescription writing.Material and methods.This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted at two times: in 2016 and in 2021.The study included nurses from Primary Health Care and Ambulatory Specialist Care.Data collected at both times, 2016 and 2021, was used for analysis.The analysis was performed using R software, version 4.1.2.Results.It was shown that awareness and understanding of the changes introduced increased significantly after a 5-year period since the expansion of competencies.Nurses appreciate the value of new competencies and their tangible benefits to patients and the healthcare system.Statistically significant differences between the groups were indicated.Conclusions.The new competencies represent a success for Polish nursing, increasing patients' access to medical services.Awareness and understanding of the introduced changes increased significantly.Nurses appreciate the value of new competencies and their tangible benefits to patients and the healthcare system.