Microsoft Excel and SPSS for Windows version 19.0 were used for data entry and analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the demographic nature of the sample. Univariable odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were obtained by means of logistic regression modeling. The questionnaire was sent to 475 travel health nurses, SCH727965 molecular weight of whom 317 responded; 274 finished the questionnaire completely. The 43 uncompleted questionnaires were excluded

from analysis. The overall response rate was 57.9% (274/475). The response rate of the 382 registered travel health nurses was 62.3% (238/382). The characteristics of the participants are presented in Table 1. The majority (84%) has more than 10 years of nursing experience, and 60% have more than 5 years experience as travel health nurse. Of all respondents, 238 (87%) are registered in the LCR register; and 60% work at a Public Health Service facility. A substantial number of travel health nurses provide travel health

advice frequently: 90% provide at least several per week. A total of 104 respondents (38%) give advice to 100–250 patients per month, and 57% prescribe malaria chemoprophylaxis to 10–50 patients per month. selleck screening library Self-reported adherence to mandatory procedures of LCR quality criteria was good: of all respondents, 99% used LCR guidelines, and 93% always had access to a consulting physician. When they gave advice, it was checked later 93% of the time by another health care professional. Of all participants, 226 (82%) aspired to have prescriptive authority. Of these, 26% believed it would improve consultations

by making them more efficient, easier, and more customer friendly. Other reasons for the aspiration were feeling competent and/or having enough experience (18%), being already engaged in prescribing according to current national protocols (16%), feeling supported by clear national guidelines (16%), and wishing to be fully responsible and/or independent (8%). The 48 participants not aspiring to have prescriptive authority said that they felt insufficiently educated and/or capable (33%), were comfortable with current ways of providing travel care (31%), and had a preference for final responsibility at physician level (23%). The respondents were also asked whether they felt only competent to prescribe, and 211 (77%) gave a positive response. Their most cited reasons included sufficient experience (26%), sufficient education or qualification (20%), support from clear national guidelines (14%), and being already engaged in prescribing according to current national protocols (10%). Of those who felt competent, 22% indicated that ongoing access to a doctor would remain important, and 14% preferred to prescribe under certain conditions like a restricted number of medicines (eg, only malaria chemoprophylaxis) or only after additional education.