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Unequal Partnership Between Doctors and Nurses Reconsidered


Thursday, September 22, 2011
NursePoint Local News
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The working relationship between doctors and nurses seem harmonious on the surface, but actually hides inequalities both structural and professional. A major shift happening in Australian health care, however, promises to turn things around. 

A visit to a local doctor nowadays will more likely mean spending some amount of time with a nurse. With such nurses in general practice – called ‘practice nurses,’ specialist health services, advocacy and education are offered. A nurse’s involvement in this way can result in better outcomes for patients with long-term conditions. 

Further research is needed on the effectiveness of nurse-led services, but initial findings reveal practice nurses’ health care outcomes to be equivalent to those by doctors, for certain health conditions. For example, clinics led by nurses for coronary heart disease patients have improved the cooperation of patients in terms of continuing care and changing lifestyle.

In 2003-2008, the number of practice nurses in Australia rose by 260%. In 2009, an estimated 8,914 practice nurses were employed. This increase appears to be getting faster, due to the federal governments’ continuous encouragement of hiring practice nurses as part of a bigger strategy to meet the needs of an increasing patient population. Allowing nurses to conduct consultations on behalf of or in a team-up with general practitioners will result in more patients served in a faster, more appropriate way.

However, a new need arises, in that the contributions by both nurses and doctors to health care should be open and transparent to fully gain public trust. Practice nurses, for their part, must prove the value of their role, but doctors must also show their support by allowing access to Medicare funding. Policymakers, on the other hand, must also contribute in promoting such a collegial relationship.

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