Quality Use of Medicines for Nurse Practitioners
To express your interest in becoming a beta-tester for the QUM for NPs project send an email to qum4np@nps.org.au
Prescribing medicines is no longer the sole province of medical practitioners and dentists. Prescribing rights have been extended to other healthcare professionals as a way to improve the quality of services to clients, whilst maintaining client safety, increasing client choice and improving access to healthcare.
The Quality Use of Medicines for Nurse Practitioners program is an initiative of the National Prescribing Service being lead by Charles Darwin University’s Graduate School for Health Practice, the Australian Nurse Practitioner Association and other key stakeholders to address the need for continuing education in quality use of medicines [QUM] for nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner candidates.
Continuing education program
The new program will provide nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner candidates with flexible ongoing education to ensure standards of practice are maintained within the principles of QUM:
- Selecting management options wisely
- Choosing suitable medicines if a medicine is considered necessary
- Using medicines safely and effectively.
Objectives of the program
- Increase participation of new and emerging prescribers in quality use of medicines
- Develop a continuing education program tailored to nurse practitioners’ practice settings and need
- Collaborate with leading professional organisations to implement the program
- Follow QUM principles and ensure the program is accurate, balanced and evidence-based
- Communicate the National Prescribing Service’s activities to new and emerging prescribers, specifically nurse practitioners
These objectives will be delivered in three phases:
Phase One (September-November 2007)
Focus group interviews and needs survey with nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner candidates to determine:
- Level of pharmacology and therapeutics knowledge of practising nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner candidates
- Nurse practitioners’ perceptions of current prescribing principles and QUM information
- Nurse practitioners’ perceptions of gaps in their current pharmacology and therapeutics knowledge relevant to their practice
- Barriers to continuing education
- Preferred distribution strategies for continuing education material.
Phase Two (October 2007-March 2009)
Curriculum and content development:
- Based on needs analysis, regulatory and professional requirements and educational principles
- Suitable for nurse practitioners continuing education
- Evaluated by currently practicing nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner candidates, nurse practitioner course coordinators and other relevant stakeholders.
Phase Three (March 2008-May 2009):
Program delivery:
- Innovative, resource rich and contextualised to engage learners
- Online, web based, flexible and responsive to learner needs, accessible to the increasing number of nurse practitioners working in rural and remote as well as metropolitan areas
- Encourage the development of learner self-regulation.
For further information, visit:
Additional links:
- National Prescribing Service
- Department of Health and Community Services
- Information about Quality Use of Medicines
To register your interest in participating in the Quality Use of Medicines for Nurse Practitioners program email gshp@cdu.edu.au.
The Quality Use of Medicines for New and Emerging Prescribers program is funded by the National Prescribing Service, an independent, non-profit organisation funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing.
