Non-medical prescribers, medicines optimisation and SDM - v9
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Medicines optimisation and shared decision-making: exploring the role of non-medical prescribers in mental health and learning disability services
IRAS ID
221854
Contact name
Eleanor Bradley
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Medicines optimisation and shared decision-making: exploring the role of non-medical prescribers in NHS mental health services.
This study aims to explore stakeholders’ views and experiences of non-medical prescribing in mental health services with a view to better defining this role in relation to medicines optimisation, shared decision-making and medicines management. Medicines optimisation has become increasingly important for the provision of person-centred approaches that ensure prescribing practices are safe and effective within mental health care. Shared decision-making forms an essential part of this process ensuring that treatment decisions include input from all relevant parties. Research highlights a number of benefits of non-medical prescribing (NMP) which include: high service-user satisfaction rates, convenience due to regular contact with NMPs, more time for choice and discussion with nurse prescribers than medical prescribers; and the monitoring of symptoms in a less intimidating environment. Despite this, little is known about the uptake, understanding or communication of medicines optimisation within routine NMP practice. Through one-to-one interviews with NMPs, service-users and carers or significant others, this study will contribute to this knowledge gap. It will provide in-depth analysis of stakeholders’ experience and understanding of medicines optimisation, the use of shared decision-making, strategies for communication and information sharing, and how essential factors can be combined to improve service-user and carer experience with prescribed medicines. It is expected that this research will highlight whether nuances specific to this role have the potential to improve medicines optimisation practices generally. Study participants will be recruited at South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust with an expected data collection period of twelve months.
REC name
North West - Liverpool Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/NW/0720
Date of REC Opinion
19 Dec 2017
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion