What primary health‐care services are Australian consumers willing to accept from nurse practitioners? A National Survey

Abstract

Background Nurses are becoming increasingly important as providers of primary health care in Australia. In November 2010, Medicare provider rights and Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme rights for nurse practitioners, working in private practice and in collaboration with a medical practitioner, were introduced in Australia. Although international evidence suggests that nurse practitioners would be appropriate and acceptable providers of care at the first point of contact, such as primary health care, there is little Australian evidence about what care consumers are willing to accept from nurse practitioners.Objectives To ascertain what care Australian health-care consumers would accept from nurse practitioners in this setting.Participants Australian adults over 18 years of age.Methods National Survey delivered online. Information about the survey was disseminated through a media campaign, stakeholder engagement and through the health-care consumer networks nationally.Results The total number of respondents that started the survey was n = 1883. Ninety-five percentage (n = 1784) of respondents completed the survey. The majority of respondents were women, aged 25-54 years, had completed tertiary education and had an annual household income of more than A$80 000. The majority of the respondents (n = 1562, 87%) said they would be prepared to see a nurse practitioner for some of their primary health-care needs.Conclusions The findings of this study suggest consumers are accepting of a range of activities undertaken by nurse practitioners in primary health care and this has relevance for primary healthcare workforce mix and organization, particularly for areas that are underserved by medical practitioners.

An investigation of the international literature on nurse practitioner private practice models

“…2012a; Parker et al. 2012b). Understanding the level of education and the purpose of the NP role was connected to a perception of a division of labour, in terms of appreciating which health professionals were best suited to specific episodes of care.…”

“…Women are also more likely to accept the care provided by an NP compared with men (Parker et al. 2012b). In Thailand, the private NP community clinics have met with high satisfaction from consumers largely because they are cheaper and provide an efficient and friendly service that is close to home (Hanucharurnkul et al.…”

Evaluation of an aged care nurse practitioner service: quality of care within a residential aged care facility hospital avoidance service

“…The paucity of healthcare professionals and indeed the general public’s understanding to the NP role [36, 40] impacts on consumer decision to see the NP as well as NPs being able to work at their full scope of practice [41]. ACF staff, PCPs, residents and their families having had experience with the NPs requested referral to the NPs.…”

Reasons for choosing or refusing care from a nurse practitioner: Results from a national population‐based survey

“…Traditional medical services are struggling to meet the growing demand on primary health care services as populations age and suffer more chronic disease. While the literature reports consumer acceptance of the established NP role (Chavez, Dwyer, & Ramelet, 2017;Davey et al, 2015;Laurant et al, 2018;Sangster-Gormley et al, 2015) and of patient's willingness to receive care from NPs for minor injury or illness (Parker, Forrest, McCracken, McRae, & Cox, 2014), there is limited evidence of consumer acceptance of NPs as an alternative primary care provider or as an alternative to a medical practitioner (Dill, Pankow, Erikson, & Shipman, 2013). This paper explores the reasons why some consumers express willingness to be seen by a NP when a medical practitioner is also available and conversely why some will not.…”

“…The researchers were guided by The National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research(NHMRC, 2007).…”