Benefits and challenges of employing health care assistants in general practice: a qualitative study of GPs' and practice nurses' perspectives

Abstract

Cost-effectiveness, patient safety, quality of care, potentially contested role boundaries and patient attitudes are among the issues that policy-makers, commissioners and those responsible for workforce development and training need to consider in relation to HCAs in general practice. There is also a need for more in-depth evaluation of this role.

Acute care nursing team members' perceptions of roles: Their own and each other's

“…Nurses in this study had mixed feelings about HCAs. Similar to previous studies, RNs described HCAs as extra hands for care (Kalisch, Weaver, & Salas, ; McLaughlin et al, ; Norrish & Rundall, ; Perry, Carpenter, Challis, & Hope, ; Spilsbury & Meyer, ) but doubted HCAs' abilities to understand and communicate patient needs (McLaughlin et al, ; Perry et al, ) and were concerned about delegating to HCAs (Petrova et al, ). Future research could explore the safety concerns nurses have about HCAs' role and offer insights into supporting HCA role enactment.…”

“…Globally, health care institutions have increased their use of less‐educated nursing care providers as a way of reducing costs (Huynh, Alderson, Nadon, & Kershaw‐Rousseau, ; Salmond & Echevarria, ), increasing numbers of LPNs and HCAs and reducing numbers of RNs (MacKinnon et al, ; Petrova et al, ). The changed nursing skill‐mix has direct impacts on institutional efficiency and patient outcomes (Aiken et al, ; Butler et al, ; Dubois et al, ; Westbrook, Duffield, Li, & Creswick, ).…”

Recognition of the health assistant as a delegated clinical role and their inclusion in models of care: a systematic review and meta-synthesis of qualitative evidence

“…However, barriers to the successful introduction of assistants have been identified, including lack of clarity regarding the role of allied health assistants, confusion regarding tasks and difficulties of health professionals letting go of their work . In addition, professionals may perceive the role of assistants as a threat to their practice . This may be to the boundaries between roles in the hospital setting being seen as blurred and fluid, with nursing assistants seeing little differences between their roles and nurses, other than accountability, medication administration and paperwork .…”

Healthcare assistants in general practice: a qualitative study of their experiences

“…The study was part of a larger feasibility study in which the views of GPs and practice nurses about HCAs were also investigated (Petrova et al, 2010). The study was part of a larger feasibility study in which the views of GPs and practice nurses about HCAs were also investigated (Petrova et al, 2010).…”