What does the presence of nurses with the authority to prescribe flu vaccines provide?

In March 2023, the president signed into law the Clinical Trials of Medicinal Products for Human Use Act, which gives pharmacists the ability to issue a full-pay prescription for the flu vaccine. Nurses are demanding the same rights.

"We call for the publication, still in this autumn-winter vaccination season, of an amendment to the regulation on the list of active substances contained in drugs, foodstuffs for special nutritional purposes and medical devices prescribed by nurses and midwives, as well as the list of diagnostic tests for which nurses and midwives are authorized to issue referrals (No. 1465)." - reads the letter to Minister Piotr Bromber, who spoke positively about such a solution. "Given the recent changes related to the removal of the financial barrier faced by seniors by providing them with free influenza and pneumococcal vaccines under the 's' list, we first call for the inclusion of precisely these vaccinations under the proposed amendment to the regulation."

In order to raise the vaccination rate in our country, nurses and midwives should be given additional powers that would allow them to issue prescriptions for flu vaccines. Such a step would significantly ease the burden on doctors in their day-to-day work and thus simplify the vaccination process.

- The flu virus is deadly for us, especially for those in risk groups. We can't underestimate it and treat it like an ordinary cold disease, because unlike a cold, dangerous complications are possible after the flu. As a community of experts, we have been urging Poles to get prophylactic vaccinations for years, pointing out the benefits of the vaccine. However, our appeals are not enough - legislative changes are also needed to "bring the patient closer" to vaccination - an effective weapon in the fight against the flu virus. Using the competence of nurses and midwives in the fight against the flu epidemic will certainly contribute to their popularization," comments Professor Adam Antczak, chairman of the Expert Council of the National Influenza Control Program.

Nurses and midwives are the medical profession that is often closest to the senior patient. In their work, they regularly reach patients in areas where access to a doctor is limited. Expanding the competence of nurses to prescribe immunological products (vaccines) will shorten the patient's path to vaccination, which will translate into higher vaccination rates in the Polish population, as well as relieve the burden on doctors, who are currently the sole implementer of this important, albeit bureaucratic, competence.

- In my opinion, perhaps the professional group of nurses and midwives, which I represent, should be noticed to a greater extent, so that we would give more opportunities at least in prescribing vaccines that will be reimbursed. It would definitely make the whole process easier, from the moment we give such information to the patient about vaccination, but on the condition that we give the opportunity to write a prescription for this vaccine," says President of the Supreme Chamber of Nurses and Midwives Mariola Lodzinska.

The current state of the law allows nurses and midwives to conduct a qualifying examination for influenza vaccination and COVID-19. However, it is important to remember that this is the profession responsible for performing all vaccinations.

- The current legislation entitles us to qualify a patient for influenza vaccination on our own and perform the vaccination - but we do not have the ability to issue a prescription under prescribing. Meanwhile, facilitating accessibility to vaccination would certainly contribute to raising vaccination rates in the years to come, points out Katarzyna Kowalska, president of the Association of Digital Nurses.

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