Current Challenges Lack of the legality of Nurse Prescribing in Intensive Care Units: A Qualitative Study

Background: Nurse prescribing is a successful innovation in the role of nurses in the world. It is crucial to assess the challenges of nurse prescribing roles in the Intensive Care Units (ICU), due to the needs of the patients in these units. This qualitative study aimed was to explore the experts’ experiences regarding lack of the legality of nurse prescribing in ICU in the healthcare system of Iran. Methods Data were collected through semi structured face-to-face interviews with 33 experts chosen according to purposive and snowballing sampling with maximum variation. The interviews were analysed using Graneheim and Lundman's conventional content analysis method. After overviewing the interviews, semantic units, codes, subcategories, categories and themes were extracted. The qualitative data were analysed using MAXQDA software version 10. Results The main theme of the study was “The current challenges due to the illegality of nurse prescribing” with five categories and 12 subcategories. The five categories included the "current reality of illegal prescribing", "patient safety threat", "current conflicts", "physician as an autocratic group," and "prescribing demands." Conclusion Despite the nurse prescribing role has been legalized and implemented in many countries, there is still no law in the ICU and other places in Iran, and this lack of legality has led to the conflicts and challenges for the patients, nurses and healthcare system. The legality of nurse prescribing in the ICU can prevent medication errors and endangering patient safety.