Meeting Australia’s Emerging Primary Care Needs by Nurse Practitioners

Carter, Michael A.; Owen-Williams, Eileen A.; Della, Phillip

doi:10.1016/j.nurpra.2015.02.011

Cited by 58 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…This can be done by qualifying staff to work across professional boundaries within multidisciplinary teams . In Australia, role expansion or advanced practice has proven to be successful in other allied health professions but is only beginning to be formally executed in radiation therapy …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An evaluation of an advanced practice role in palliative radiation therapy

Job

Holt

Bernard

2019

J of Medical Radiation Sci

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Introduction The purpose of the study was to evaluate the palliative advanced practice radiation therapy (APRT) role with respect to the impact on waiting times for patients from referral to radiation treatment delivery, the ability of the APRT to define palliative radiation therapy fields and patient satisfaction. The evaluation of the impact of the APRT role and referral pathway on patient waiting times has been previously published. Methods Patients were allocated to two different pathways; APRT and standard. Patients in the APRT pathway had their radiotherapy treatment managed by the APRT including defining their palliative fields blinded to the radiation oncologist (RO). Results Of the 150 palliative patients, 94 had their radiation therapy managed by the APRT and 56 were managed through the standard pathway. 82/92 APRT defined fields were accepted by the RO. Conclusions Inter‐observer variability between the APRT and the RO in defining palliative radiation therapy fields is similar to that reported in the literature between clinicians. With previously published reduced wait times from referral to treatment for palliative patients, the establishment of the APRT role is justified.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An evaluation of an advanced practice role in palliative radiation therapy

Job

Holt

Bernard

2019

J of Medical Radiation Sci

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“…7,8 The obligation for PPNPs to have collaborative arrangements has created significant discussion. 3,5,9,10 Opponents argue that collaboration is innate to nursing practice, thus NPs naturally collaborate with a range of health professionals, including medical practitioners. 9 Furthermore, mandating collaboration as a prerequisite to access presents impediments to NPs establishing themselves in private practice.…”

Section: Collaborative Arrangementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…PPNPs are marginalised because power and control over PPNP services reside in the hands of a medical practitioner (who may not welcome additional services). 3,10 In Australia, none of the other health professionals that have access to MBS and PBS provider numbers, including physiotherapists and psychologists, are required by law to establish collaborative arrangements. 3 The only exceptions are some specified PBS items (Section 100 Highly Specialised Drugs Program), 11 whereby medical practitioners are mandated to collaborate with certain medical specialists in order to prescribe these medications.…”

Section: Collaborative Arrangementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…10 Opponents identify that there is no evidence base to support the introduction of collaborative arrangements. 11 There is also no evidence that collaborative arrangements are being evaluated through government in terms of their impact or quality.…”

Section: Impact Of Collaborative Arrangements On Patient Access To Carementioning

confidence: 99%

“…The main concerns regarding collaborative arrangements are that they may be restrictive and may affect patient access to care. 3,10 …”

Section: Impact Of Collaborative Arrangements On Patient Access To Carementioning

confidence: 99%

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Collaborative arrangements and privately practising nurse practitioners in Australia: results from a national survey

Currie

Chiarella

Buckley

2017

Aust. Health Review

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Objective. Since the introduction of legislative changes in 2010, services provided by privately practising nurse practitioners (PPNPs) in Australia have been eligible for subsidisation through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). To provide eligible services, PPNPs must collaborate formally with a medical practitioner or an entity that employs medical practitioners. This paper provides data from a national survey on these collaborative arrangements in Australia. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of PPNP services on patient access to care in Australia.Methods. PPNPs in Australia were invited to complete an electronic survey. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, whereas qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. Seventy-three surveys were completed.Results. Ninety-three per cent of participants reported having a collaborative arrangement in place. Frequency of communication ranged from daily (27%) to never (1%). Participants reported that collaborative arrangements facilitate learning, patient care and offer support to PPNPs. However, for some PPNPs, organising a formal collaborative arrangement is demanding because it is dependent on the availability and willingness of medical practitioners and the open interpretation of the arrangement. Only 19% of participants believed that collaborative arrangements should be a prerequisite for PPNPs to access the MBS and PBS.Conclusion. Although there are benefits to collaborative arrangements, there is also concern from PPNPs that mandating such arrangements through legislation presents a barrier to establishing PPNP services and potentially reduces patient access to care. Collaboration with medical practitioners is intrinsic to nursing practice. Thus, legislating for collaborative arrangements is unnecessary, because it makes the normal abnormal.What is known about the topic? To access the MBS and PBS, PPNPs are required by law to have a collaborative arrangement with a medical practitioner or entity that employs medical practitioners. To date, the effects of these collaborative arrangements on PPNP services in Australia have not been known. What does the paper add? This paper provides unique data from a national survey on collaborative arrangements between PPNPs and medical practitioners in Australia. What are the implications for practitioners? Although there are benefits to collaborative arrangements, there is also concern that mandating such arrangements presents a barrier to establishing PPNP services and potentially reduces patient access to care.

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Workforce characteristics of privately practicing nurse practitioners in Australia

Currie

Chiarella

Buckley

2016

Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners

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Purpose Australian private practice nurse practitioner (PPNP) services have grown since legislative changes in 2010 enabled eligible nurse practitioners (NPs) to access reimbursement for care delivered through the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). This article provides data from a national survey on the workforce characteristics of PPNPs in Australia. Method PPNPs in Australia were invited to complete an electronic survey. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data using thematic analysis. There were 73 completed surveys. Conclusions One of the intentions of expanding access to MBS and PBS for patients treated by NPs was to increase patients’ access to health care through greater flexibility in the healthcare workforce. The results of this survey confirm that the workforce characteristics of PPNPs provide a potentially untapped resource to meet current primary healthcare demand. Implications for practice The findings of this study allow us to understand the characteristics of PPNP services, which are significant for workforce planning. The focus of PPNP practice is toward primary health care with PPNPs working predominantly in general practice settings. The largest age group of PPNPs is over 50 years and means a proportion will be retiring in the next 15 years.

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Meeting Australia’s Emerging Primary Care Needs by Nurse Practitioners

Cited by 58 publications

References 5 publications

An evaluation of an advanced practice role in palliative radiation therapy

An evaluation of an advanced practice role in palliative radiation therapy

Collaborative arrangements and privately practising nurse practitioners in Australia: results from a national survey

Workforce characteristics of privately practicing nurse practitioners in Australia

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