Advancing the role of nurses and midwives in Ireland: Pioneering transformation of the health workforce for noncommunicable diseases in Europe (2017)

A survey that included 32 countries in Europe in 2015 found that more than two thirds had extended the official scopes of practice of nurses in primary care. Ireland is one of those countries.

The first Nurse Prescriber was registered in 2008. Independent evaluation found increased patient satisfaction with the care and information they received, greater professional satisfaction of nurses and midwives and consensus among clinical stakeholders that the new roles resulted in the delivery of effective, high-quality care to patients while reducing some of the workload of primary care physicians.