Nurse Practitioners Prove Safe and Effective in Prescribing Medications

A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that nurse practitioners (NPs) are just as good as primary care doctors at avoiding potentially harmful prescriptions for older patients. The study, which analyzed data from 29 U.S. states, revealed that both NPs and doctors had similar rates of potentially "inappropriate" prescriptions, accounting for about 1.7% of all prescriptions in both groups. However, there was wide variation in prescribing patterns within both groups, indicating the need for improvement among NPs and doctors alike. The study highlights the importance of addressing the variance in prescribing practices and empowering patients to ask questions about their medications.