Background: The role of nurse prescribers is developing rapidly to meet rising health care demands worldwide. However, prescribing is a complex process that requires nurses to receive the proper education.
Objectives: To identify what is known in the research field on nurse prescribing education.
Design: Arksey and O'Malley's five-stage methodological framework was used to guide this scoping review.
Data sources: PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Embase, and the Cochrane Library.
Review methods: Databases were searched from inception to December 31, 2022. Data were extracted from papers meeting the inclusion criteria using the data chart and synthesized using a narrative method.
Results: Seventy-one studies were included in the scoping review. Five education content themes and four education modes were identified. In addition, positive effects of nurse prescribing education and the learning needs of nurses were also found.
Conclusions: There is considerable heterogeneity in nurse prescribing education content and mode. This scoping review highlights the benefits of implementing education programs to prepare nurses for prescribing. However, nurses still have some unmet needs for prescribing education. More longitudinal studies and evaluation tools are needed to determine long-term effects. Future nurse prescribing education programs could consider the dual mentorship system, interactive educational activities, and specialized courses to improve the motivation of nurses and the quality of education.
Keywords: Education; Nurse; Prescribing; Scoping review; Training.
Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.