Knowledge of students of Warsaw Medical University about expanding professional competence of nurses and midwives with reference to prescribing medicines, writing out prescriptions, and referring for diagnostic tests (original) (raw)

2017, Nursing and Public Health

Background. Starting on January 1, 2016, specific groups of nurses and midwives have gained rights with respect to writing out prescriptions on medical orders and prescribing certain drugs, including writing out prescriptions for these medicines, as well as referring patients for diagnostic tests independently. Objectives. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge of MUW students about the expanding professional competence of nurses and midwives. Material and methods. Four hundred seventeen students, 83% women; mean age: 23 years (min. 18, max. 58, median: 23) took part in this study. Among them were students of: Medicine 35%, Nursing 25%, Public Health 20%, Midwifery 19%. First-year students comparised 30% of the participants, third-year-28%, fourth-year-14%, second-year-12%, fifth-year-10%, and sixth-year-5%. Forty-three per cent of the study participants had already taken part in a medical law course. A voluntary and anonymous questionnaire study, a questionnaire developed by the authors, consisted of 3 parts: 13 close-ended questions on knowledge, 26 statements concerning attitudes assessed using the Likert scale, 8 demographic questions. The approval of the Ethical Review Board of Warsaw Medical University was not necessary. Results. Forty-two per cent of the students knew which legal act had been amended and 31% of the total knew the date of its entry into force. Fifty-three per cent knew that the new regulations were their rights. Twenty-five per cent of the study participants knew that their new powers concerned prescribing medicines, foodstuffs intended for particular nutritional uses and medical devices.