The scope of expected nursing advice in primary health care from the patients' perspective: a qualitative study

Introduction. Nurses' entitlement to write prescriptions and to provide nursing advice in primary health care can improve the quality of these services. In the process of ensuring the quality of healthcare, the desirable element of its assessment is the patient's perspective, taking into account his expectations. Aim. Determining the scope of expected nursing advice and learning the opinions of patients regarding the writing of prescriptions by family nurses. Material and methods. A qualitative study was conducted using a semi-structured interview with 37 patients under the care of eight primary health care outpatient clinics from the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Results. The scope of advice expected from a family nurse concerns: dealing with a health problem, lifestyle and prevention, the scope of family nurse care and the operation of the healthcare system. Writing prescriptions by family nurses can improve the functioning of primary health care. Conclusions. Nursing advice perceived by patients is in line with the competences of the family nurse. Opinions on the entitlement of the family nurse to write prescriptions and prescribing medicines vary.