A study by Mireia Fàbregas, MD, of the Institut Català de la Salut,
in Barcelona, Spain, and her colleagues has been published in the online
version of the Journal of Advanced Nursing on 21 March 2013. The
findings suggest that nurses may be able to take on some of the care
generally provided by physicians.
In a trial involving 1,461 adult patients who requested same day
appointments to see either nurses trained to respond to problems with
low complexity or to see general practitioners, the investigators found
that nurses successfully solved 86.3% of the cases.
The study was conducted in 38 general practices in Catalonia, Spain,
and 142 general practitioners and 155 nurses participated. The
investigators measured how well patients' symptoms resolved and how
satisfied patients were two weeks after the visit.
Patients who saw nurses were equally satisfied with their visit as
those who saw doctors. When patients were asked about their preferences
regarding which professional they would like to visit if a similar
health problem arose again, more than 40% of patients in each group
expressed indifference.
"This study could help to reduce resistance to change in both
physicians and nurses, as well as in the general population, generating
confidence in the care provided by nurses," said Dr. Fàbregas. She and
her co-authors noted that having nurses solve acute diseases of low
complexity could help improve overall health care efficiency.
Sources:
Waknine Y (2013). Nurses and Doctors Equally Competent for Simple Ailments, Medscape Medical News, 21 March 2013.
Medical
News Today. The Public Can Be Confident In The Care Nurses Provide,
Comparable To That Of Doctors For Resolving Health Problems Of Low
Complexity, 24 March 2013.
Original Link: http://www.icn.ch/news/whats-new/spanish-study-finds-nurses-and-doctors-equally-competent-in-providing-primary-care-for-common-health-1600.html
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