Patterns of GP and nurse independent prescriber prescriptions for antibiotics dispensed in the community in England: a retrospective analysis

Physician–nurse task shifting, a process of delegation whereby tasks are moved to other specialized healthcare workers, is used in primary care in many countries to improve access, efficiency and quality of care. One such task is the prescription of medicines.

Nurse independent prescribers are an increasing contributory influence on total antibiotic prescribing and should be included in antimicrobial stewardship efforts. Interventions for this group need to be tailored to the population and context in which they work.