Prescribing role adds power to primary care team

New prescribing role will add power to primary care team

The addition of nurse practitioner prescribers will strengthen primary health teams, believes the College of GPs.

“In this new environment, there is now no real role for health professionals to stay as individuals outside the team,” College president Dr Jonathan Fox says.

He said the College’s main concern had been with the broad scope of primary care, but it welcomed the expansion of the nurse practitioner role in prescribing into areas like chronic care management.

“It’s a very positive thing for our patients. As we move into this whole new world of primary health care, the chronic shortages of doctors and nurses mean we need to rethink ways to deploy health professionals,” Dr Fox said.

“Barriers have now been removed that will let doctors and nurses work alongside one another in supportive teams.”

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