App helps nursing students with prescribing

A new app has been developed by academics to support nursing and pharmacy students with prescribing.

The Know Your Medicines app, which works on smartphones, tablets and laptops, contains bitesize sections, diagrams, animation, activities, flashcards and case studies.

It was developed by Birmingham City University academics Patricia Fell and Katharine Hardware, and the university's IT department.

Dr Fell, a pharmacologist and associate professor at the University's faculty of health, education and life sciences told the RCN Education Forum Conference in March: 'On non-medical degree courses I will have students crying on me.

'There are a lot of studies to show students find it challenging and are always looking for further support.'

'Radical' overhaul 

It is hoped the app will eventually be made available to university alumni for to support their work and continuing professional development, and for it also to be available to those outside of the university.

Last month, Nursing Standard exclusively revealed that draft Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) education plans showed graduating nurses in the UK would be given limited prescribing powers.

The unpublished plans, called Standards for Registered Nurse Education, are under consideration by NMC in its 'radical' overhaul of nursing education.

The document offers much more detail on the skills nurses should have at the point of registration than the current guidelines.

Nurses will be able to prescribe from an 'agreed formulary', according to the draft standards, and should also complete a lengthy list of intravenous procedures, including venepuncture, cannulation and various intravenous therapies.

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