Prescriptive Privileges for Advanced Practice Nurses
In order to meet the growing demand for primary care, nurse practitioners need prescriptive authority to provide quality, safe, and cost-effective healthcare to patients. The development of nurse practitioners, plus physician shortages in primary care, leads to an increasing need for nurse practitioners and access to health care. However, nurse practitioners currently face prescription regulations for controlled substances, which limits their scope of practice. The regulation of nurse practitioners prescribing controlled substances diminishes comprehensive health care services by increasing the wait time for patients and liability claims for physicians. The number of nurse practitioners continues to expand and their roles often overlap with those of the physician to meet the shortages of primary care.
History of APRN and efforts to gain Prescriptive Authority In rural areas there was a rising demand for primary care services, which lead to the development of the nurse practitioner profession. Since physicians were unable to meet this demand, nurses stepped in and expanded their roles to meet the needs of individuals and families. Physicians began collaborating and mentoring with nurses who had clinical experience in the late 1950s and early 1960s (Medscape). The increased specialization of medicine led to a wide number of physicians out of primary care, which caused a primary physician shortage and left rural areas underserved (Medscape). In 1965, Loretta Ford and Henry Silver established the first nurse practitioner program that was focused on health promotion, disease prevention, and the health of children and families (Nurses, Nurse Practitioners: Evolution to Advanced Practice). Ford believed that the shortage of physicians provided the opportunity for the progression of the nurse practitioner