Heart failure nurses first in Alberta to prescribe medication for cardiac patients

Nurses in the Cardiac Function Clinic (CFC) at Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) are the first in Alberta to prescribe medications and order blood work and simple diagnostic tests for cardiac patients. 

A pilot program kicked off at the nurse-led, outpatient clinic on Oct. 18 with the goal of decreasing delays in prescribing medications to heart failure patients and improving overall clinic efficiency. Previously, administering medication had to wait for sign-off from a physician. 

The pilot is part of an Alberta Health Services (AHS) nurse prescriber project that began in select clinics across the province in 2019.  

Jennifer Sieben, RN, a heart failure nurse liaison, Allana Fantin, a clinical nurse educator in the Department of Cardiac Sciences, and Zandria Morley, senior consultant of the Cardiovascular Program Improvement & Integration Network, were critical in getting the project underway.  

“This project has been a long time coming, and it’s exciting to see it come to fruition,” says Sieben. “The goal is to provide the best possible care for patients.” 

As part of the project, AHS developed a 13-week course for nurse prescribers. They also developed robust clinical support tools to help in decision-making, which differ for each nursing specialty. In the CFC’s case, seven clinical support tools, which include 17 heart failure medications, were developed. Nurses must have at least 750 hours in their area of specialty to be eligible to prescribe medication. 

Six front-line staff have taken advantage of the opportunity at the CFC. 

The change has been well received by all involved: physicians, nurses, pharmacists, administration and patients. 

“The patients were incredibly supportive of this move,” says Fantin. “In an initial survey, patients felt they had excellent care.” 

Leigha Kemp, a nurse in the CFC, agrees. 

“It’s been great for myself and my colleagues to have a bit more autonomy,” she says. “The program also allows us to provide treatment to patients more efficiently.” 

The three other heart failure outpatient clinics in the city are also on board with the changes. Three Cardiac nurses at South Health Campus are enrolled in the required course, and nurses at Rocky View Hospital and the Peter Lougheed Hospital will start the program in the new year. 

Sieben is pleased with the response from nurses. 

“I am proud of my coworkers for taking this on,” she says. “It’s really nice that they are being given more autonomy to treat patients more quickly. They have all been excited.” 

The team will be evaluating the project in the new year, including improvements to clinic efficiency and CFC staff and patient satisfaction.