Nursing prescription and e-prescriptions issued by nurses in optimizing care for chronically ill patients

Introduction.
On January 1, 2016, Polish nurses were granted the right to issue prescriptions for medications. The main policy behind granting nurses the authority to issue prescriptions was the need to increase access to medical services for chronically ill patients.

Study aim.
To analyze the quantity of e-prescriptions issued by nurses in the initial period after the obligation to issue prescriptions in electronic form was introduced.

State of knowledge.
Scientific research and knowledge acquired in the field of nursing con-tribute to expanding nurses' powers. Following the example of other countries, nurses in Poland have been granted the authority to issue prescriptions for medications. E-prescriptions are a key element of the digital development of the public healthcare system. In Poland, since January 8, 2020, there has been an obligation to issue prescriptions in electronic form.

Summary.
Data from the e-Health Center for the initial period of issuing e-prescriptions by nurses indicate progress in the quantities of prescriptions issued. However, the lack of statis-tics in Poland prevents the assessment of the effects of improving care for chronically ill patients due to nurses' authority to issue prescriptions for medications.