Health care ‘to do list’ grows
There is an increasing trend across general practices to employ nurses and to expand primary health care opportunities, according to the latest 2012 General Practice Nurse National Survey Report. Commissioned by AML Alliance and conducted by the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, the survey is based on the work previously undertaken by the General Practice Network.
There is an increasing trend across general practices to employ nurses and to expand primary health care opportunities, according to the latest 2012 General Practice Nurse National Survey Report.
Commissioned by AML Alliance and conducted by the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute, the survey is based on the work previously undertaken by the General Practice Network.
AML Alliance Chair, Dr Arn Sprogis, says the survey remains the only one of its type and confirms the valuable place that the nursing profession has in general practice.
Since the first survey in 2003, not only have the numbers of nurses working in general practice reportedly increased from 2,400 to more than 10,500, the percentage of practices employing a nurse had increased from more than 40% to 63%, according to Dr Sprogis.
Almost 90% of sampled practices report being registered for the Practice Nurse Incentive Payment (PNIP) with 16% of these indicating they were employing or intended to employ more nurses, indicating the trend of increased numbers of nurses working in the area will continue.
The survey, which highlights the range of activities undertaken by General Practice Nurses and the skills they have, contributes to the planning tools needed by Medicare Locals for workforce and health care planning, Dr Sprogis says.
Among the key findings, 35% of nurses in this survey reported additional qualifications as an immunisation nurse. In 2009, 9% of nurses reported having post graduate qualifications as a women’s health nurse, and this has risen to 15% this year.
The survey also confirms nurses’ contribution goes beyond clinical care and encompasses quality assurance, management of risk, increasing access for patients through triage and supporting GPs in the management of chronic disease.
These activities not only support better patient care, they add value allowing the general practice team to provide a more connected patient-focused service, Dr Sprogis claims.
