Conformity of nurse prescribing to care needs: nurses' understanding.

Objective: investigate the understanding of nurses on nurse prescribing conformity to the care needs of hospitalized patients and factors associated with that conformity. Method: a descriptive study, with a quantitative approach, was conducted at 20 in-patient units of a teaching hospital in the state of Sao Paulo. The participants (N = 139) answered a semi-structured questionnaire. Results: For 43 (30.9%) nurses, nurse prescribing is always in line with patients' care needs. The fields of body care and elimination, skin and mucosa care and investigation and monitoring were the most frequently addressed. Conclusion: in the perception of most nurses, nurse prescribing does not conform with patients' health heeds. The establishment of strategies to improve prescribing quality is recommended, as well as the development of permanent qualification programs and the systematic use of instruments for assessment of patients' care demands regarding nursing.