An independent review of drug prescribing by nurses and midwives has found that it is mostly safe and correct for the patient's medical condition.
It also found that 90% of patients believed it cut their waiting time for treatment and most supported prescribing by nurses.
Dr Jonathan Drennan, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Health Systems at UCD, said nurse prescribing was a positive development.
Legislation which came into effect in 2007 allows nurses to prescribe independently for the first time in Ireland.
112 nurses and midwives have since been trained for prescribing drugs.
The review says that most nurses' prescriptions were written to a high standard, although a small number of drugs prescribed had the potential to interact with other medications.
It recommends that the national roll-out of nurse prescribing continue and that the type of drugs that can be prescribed be extended to include more controlled drugs.
