News

Nurses as 'high quality' as GPs

05-Sep-08

Nurses can deliver as high quality care as GPs in most areas of general practice including preventive healthcare, the management of long-term conditions, and first contact care for people with minor illness, according to a University of Manchester professor.

Bonnie Sibbald, professor of health services research at the University of Manchester, argued that primary care should be nurse led in this week’s BMJ.

She argued that substituting nurses for doctors has the potential to improve the efficiency of primary care.

She said: ‘The GPs’ role should evolve to become that of a consultant in primary care receiving referrals from nurses.’

Leicester GP Dr Rhona Knight argued that nurse-led primary care would restrict patient choice and undermine the importance of nurses’ unique contribution to primary care.

neil.durham@haymarket.com

Comment below and tell us what you think

Comments

Phil Charlton

05/09/2008

Some very interesting comments, as a nurse working in general practice performing minor illness first contact care, CDM, and pretty much the full range of P/N duties many of my patients report they get a high quality of care from myself and my nurse colleague. However nurses will always be viewed as the cheap alternative, and any real progression of the role is generally in our own time and often at our own expense. Sadly I feel any genuine and widespread acceptance by the "medical doctors" is a long way off.

Rupen Kulkarni

05/09/2008

I dont think anybody will have any problems accepting Nurses as adequately trained and for as long as GPs have been. If you want to do the talk, you gotta have done the walk. There is no other way. I hope we wont have solicitors with 500 hours of training next.

Martin Gray

08/09/2008

It's very reassuring to have this statement made as it does show that nurses ARE highly regarded by patients in the provision of care. Many nurses working as Nurse Practitioners/First Contact Nurses have undertaken degree level studies in addition to the time it has taken to become qualified as a nurse in the first place - that makes a total of 6 years (2 degrees) exclusive of time spent in the profession from original qualification. Doctors may do 5 years at medical school, where they receive a lot of support from senior nursing staff as they go through their house officer roles, but nurses do actually do a lot longer with less support. It's called 'hands on' training I believe?

Of course nurses, irregardless of the qualifications they obtain, will never be accepted in the same light as doctors, nor be as well re-imbursed, but they can and do provide very high quality care and tend to build up better patient/professional relationships because they do spend more time in consultation. It is regrettable that the present Government/NHS upper echelons are more interested in targets and dictate how long a doctor should spend with each patient; and that may be the only reason doctors are poressured in to not spending as long with patients as they really want and need.

Only registered users may comment. Log in now or register for a free account.