Nurse practitioners will soon be given limited prescriptive rights

By Halshane Burke    

 

Family nurse and mental health psychiatric nurse practitioners will soon get the green light to write prescriptions under limited circumstances.

 

Health Minister Dr. Christopher Tufton says Cabinet has approved the issuance of drafting instructions to the chief parliamentary council to amend the Nurses and Midwives Act and the Pharmacy Act to allow for the licensing of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs).

 

Dr. Tufton says the move signifies an evolution of the country's health care to meet the needs of the population. 

 

"In many of our deep rural health centres, these are the only stable personnel and oftentimes have to administer care with some remote consultation, but nevertheless, have the training to provide very good clinical assessment and diagnosis and this additional authority will allow them to complete that cycle in a safe and patient-centric way," the health minister, who was speaking Tuesday in the House of Representatives, noted. 

 

The minister said the amendments are vital in addressing the pressing issue of non-communicable diseases in Jamaica. 

 

"What we are seeking to do is to upskill existing categories of healthcare specialists to provide more services, more responses to a population that has a sick profile that spans rural, urban, right across the country. Therefore, the proposed amendments to the legislative framework are not just timely in my view, they are also very essential as part of the reforming of our health services. Empowering APRNs with the ability to prescribe, especially rural areas, is a significant step towards improving patient outcomes and delivering more comprehensive care."  

 

Opposition Spokesman on Health Dr. Morais Guy has welcomed the proposed granting of prescriptive rights to Advanced Practice Registered Nurses but questioned the level of oversight that will exist. 

 

"Will they be working in areas that are not supervised by physicians? Because there are some health centres where they are not necessarily health centres that are having clinics for diabetes, hypertension, but health centres that people walk off the street. The concern will exist that, will they be allowed to work carte blanche?"

 

Dr. Guy said other concerns may arise, but the initiative is good provided it will be properly supervised.