Expanding Adult ADHD Care in Australia: The Role of Mental Health Nurses as Designated Registered Nurse Prescribers.

Abstract

The introduction of designated registered nurse (RN) prescribing in Australia creates an opportunity to strengthen RNs' role in adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) care. Adult ADHD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that may require ongoing medication review, monitoring, psychoeducation, and coordinated support. Access to ADHD medication has traditionally relied on specialist psychiatric assessment, creating barriers related to cost, waiting times, rurality, socioeconomic disadvantage, and fragmented primary care. Mental health RNs are well placed to address these gaps through collaborative prescribing models. Their expertise includes therapeutic engagement, mental state and functional assessment, risk identification, medicines monitoring, consumer partnership, and care coordination. These capabilities support treatment review, adverse-effect monitoring, continuity of care, and management of comorbid mental health concerns. However, current reforms do not clearly define the role of specialist mental health RNs in ADHD care or provide profession-specific guidance, decision-support tools, and ADHD education pathways. This article argues that mental health RN prescribers can improve access, continuity, safety, and equity. It calls for policy, education, and governance frameworks that embed RNs within collaborative ADHD service models.