Prescribing in critical care

Last month, the research round-up provided you with an overview of articles around the subject of paramedics in advanced practice roles and the requirements for practice as well as their impact. This month, we will look at prescribing and medicines management in critical care.

The first article looks at non-medical prescribing in the critical care area to explore the breadth and depth of prescribing activity. The second article looks at the role of a prescribing physiotherapist working with children in a critical/intensive care environment. In our third article we will review the experiences of patients and family members' perceptions of medication management after a critical care stay.

This article, online ahead of publication in the Journal of Intensive and Critical Care Nursing, sought to explore the breadth and depth of prescribing practice of non-medical prescribers (NMPs) employed in the critical care environment. This UK-based study used an online questionnaire method to gain insight into prescribing by NMPs between 26 October 2021 and 19 November 2021. This study aimed to build on work published and elicit whether prescribing practice by NMPs had evolved with increasing numbers of prescribers across professions. The questionnaire was sent to participants identified via the British Association of Critical Care Nurses who were prescribing during the study period. This was contextualised by accessing data from the relevant professional and regulatory bodies regarding the number of prescribers on their register at that time. The survey wanted to capture activity not only in the critical care unit itself but in other critical care arenas such as A&E and outreach.