ABSTRACT
Individuals taking on this role, and education courses to prepare them, are springing up all over the country. The only drawback in all this is that the nurse practitioner concept could be seen as merely of ‘nursing’ interest. The Derby-shire study found in particular that half the patients who had gone to see the nurse once went back to her within 12 months, despite high levels of accessibility to a doctor’s appointment. More women respondents consulted the nurse practitioner than did men or children, and also compared the experience more favourably. Patients have always wanted quick access to the doctor. It has been suggested that a nurse practitioner may be the answer to some of the time pressures facing doctors, and from an organizational viewpoint the findings to date indicate that a nurse practitioner surgery consultation service, as additional provision rather than replacement for doctor appointment slots, may shorten the waiting time to get a doctor’s appointment.
