Nurse Influence in the U.S.

Nurse practitioners and many advanced practices nurses (APRNs) can currently prescribe medications in the U.S. Though registered nurses (RNs) cannot yet independently prescribe in this country, they do already educate and strongly influence patients as well as other HCPs about medications. Many healthcare companies are making the wise choice to develop relationships with nurses. For example, Johnson & Johnson has had numerous campaigns solely aimed at providing resources for nurses including a website, games, videos, and other nurse relationship building efforts that include Twitter and Pinterest content.

Pharma Execs Should Connect with Nurses

While there are no official plans to allow RNs to prescribe in the U.S., their impact is growing and pharma marketing execs have begun to understand the role RNs play in influencing patients and their fellow HCPs about medication choices, adherence and treatment options. Problems with the growing demand for healthcare in the U.S. remain, so perhaps RNs will gain some prescribing authority in the future, but in either case RNs already have patients’ trust and a lot of influence. As a pharma marketer, it is important to fully understand the impact of the RN in your target specialty area