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Getting the job done

Getting the job done The BMA paper, currently out for discussion, suggested that nurse practitioners could take on the role of gatekeeper in the NHS, by becoming the first point of contact in primary care. As NHS Direct professionals have already shown, nurses are more than capable of providing a safe ‘gateway’ to services. This latest report, by researchers at Bristol University and published in the British Medical Journal last week, looks at 34 studies comparing nurse practitioners with doctors in primary care. They found that nurses communicate better with patients, offer more advice on self-care and managing conditions, keep more complete records, offer longer consultations and carry out more investigations. There were no significant differences in health outcomes, although in some ways ‘quality of care was better with nurse practitioners’. Nurses will not be surprised by much of this – it is well known that their training and general approach is more person-centred than that of medical colleagues. As Claire Rayner pointed out on BBC Radio 4, nurses often have a better rapport with patients and, unlike many doctors, can make a patient feel that they are the most important person in the world. Getting the job done In spite of the difficulties in defining some of these developing nursing roles, they work for patients Doctors defended their position by stressing that some of the studies were not comparing like with like – nurses were not under the same pressures and wereon the whole dealing with minor illnesses. Certainly, there were limitations with the study, nonetheless this is more evidence that in spite of the difficulties in defining some of these developing nursing roles, they work for patients and deliver good care. It is important, though, that they develop in the right way. The paper talks about nurses as ‘substitutes’ for doctors and that will not be helpful for anyone. It is important that nurses have the prescribing powers and autonomy to manage care effectively. The nurse as gatekeeper must not be seen as simply another barrier between the patient and appropriate care. With the right skill mix in the primary care team, patients could see important improvements. See news page 4 and analysis page 12 http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Nursing Standard Royal College of Nursing (RCN)

Getting the job done

Nursing Standard , Volume 16 (30) – Apr 16, 2002
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Publisher
Royal College of Nursing (RCN)
Copyright
©2012 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.
Subject
Editorial
ISSN
0029-6570
eISSN
2047-9018
DOI
10.7748/ns.16.30.3.s1
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The BMA paper, currently out for discussion, suggested that nurse practitioners could take on the role of gatekeeper in the NHS, by becoming the first point of contact in primary care. As NHS Direct professionals have already shown, nurses are more than capable of providing a safe ‘gateway’ to services. This latest report, by researchers at Bristol University and published in the British Medical Journal last week, looks at 34 studies comparing nurse practitioners with doctors in primary care. They found that nurses communicate better with patients, offer more advice on self-care and managing conditions, keep more complete records, offer longer consultations and carry out more investigations. There were no significant differences in health outcomes, although in some ways ‘quality of care was better with nurse practitioners’. Nurses will not be surprised by much of this – it is well known that their training and general approach is more person-centred than that of medical colleagues. As Claire Rayner pointed out on BBC Radio 4, nurses often have a better rapport with patients and, unlike many doctors, can make a patient feel that they are the most important person in the world. Getting the job done In spite of the difficulties in defining some of these developing nursing roles, they work for patients Doctors defended their position by stressing that some of the studies were not comparing like with like – nurses were not under the same pressures and wereon the whole dealing with minor illnesses. Certainly, there were limitations with the study, nonetheless this is more evidence that in spite of the difficulties in defining some of these developing nursing roles, they work for patients and deliver good care. It is important, though, that they develop in the right way. The paper talks about nurses as ‘substitutes’ for doctors and that will not be helpful for anyone. It is important that nurses have the prescribing powers and autonomy to manage care effectively. The nurse as gatekeeper must not be seen as simply another barrier between the patient and appropriate care. With the right skill mix in the primary care team, patients could see important improvements. See news page 4 and analysis page 12

Journal

Nursing Standard – Royal College of Nursing (RCN)

Published: Apr 16, 2002

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