Keywords
Scope of Practice
IFoC Legislative Reform
EU Policy
Advanced Practice Nursing
Abstract
Introduction. Thirteen European countries have enacted nurse prescribing legislation, 12 nationally. Only 11 of 35 EFN countries have APN frameworks with minimum educational requirements; Italy is not among them. Italy's IFoC operates without prescriptive authority, a national register, or a defined APN legal framework — positioning Italy behind Finland and Norway in APN development.
Methods. Comparative policy analysis across PubMed, CINAHL, Overton, EFN repositories (2010–2025). De Raeve et al. (2024) APN typology applied as analytical framework. Countries: UK, Netherlands, Ireland, France, Finland, Norway, Spain, Australia, Italy.
Results. UK V300 (>58,000 qualified; full BNF access) documents no prescribing error increase. Netherlands full practice authority improved patient access without adverse events. Finnish NPs report feeling limited by inability to make formal medical diagnosis despite 20 years of APN training.
Discussion. Italy's IFoC requires a phased legislative path — device prescribing (2026), supplementary prescribing for chronic conditions (2028), full APN law (2030+) — mirroring EU trajectories with EFN-aligned competency standards and CCNL restructuring.
References
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Copyright (c) 2026 Gianluca Fedelfranco