CRNA prescribing practices: the Washington State experience.

One year after implementation of a 2005 Washington State law that granted Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) authority to prescribe schedule II through IV controlled substances, only 30% of CRNAs held prescriptive authority. The purpose of this study was to describe Washington State CRNA prescribing practices and workforce and practice characteristics. A questionnaire was mailed in 2006 to CRNAs licensed in Washington with addresses in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.