OBJECTIVES: There is an increasing demand for medication reviews to improve the quality of prescribing for patients with chronic illness such as psychiatric patients. Traditionally, this has been undertaken by physicians. Pharmacists have also proven to be a resource in this field but registered nurses are the health professionals spending most time directly with the patient and very few studies investigate nurses’ role and potential in improving the appropriateness of medication. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the effect of educating nurses in general pharmacology and conducting systematic medication reviews using computer based screening. The effect is evaluated in a controlled interventional study. METHODS: An interventional study including 2 acute psychiatric wards. In one ward nurses’ will receive pharmacological training and the other ward will function as a control. The nurses will perform approximately 250 medication reviews followed by medication reviews performed by pharmacologists. Primary outcomes are the respective frequencies, types and severity of potential inappropriate prescriptions identified by the nurses and pharmacologists and an estimation of the interratervariability between the two professions. RESULTS: The hypothesis is that nurse-led medication reviews will reduce potential inappropriate prescribing and that training will increase nurses’ ability to identify and report potential inappropriate prescribing. It is assumed that this intervention, in addition to a more appropriate prescribing, will lead to a reduction in length of hospitalization for psychiatric patients. CONCLUSIONS: The perspective for this study is to add knowledge about frequency, types and potential severity of potential inappropriate prescribing for psychiatric patients. The study will contribute with information regarding the effect of pharmacological training of nurses and possibly improve medication safety for psychiatric patients. Results from this study could serve as evidence, when hospital management makes decisions on how to accede the need for medication reviews as part of an ongoing accreditation process.