PubMed · 11588088
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S W Fraser, T Greenhalgh. 2001-10-06. Coping with complexity: educating for capability.. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.323.7316.799
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Clinical governance has, for the first time, placed the quality of healthcare as a direct responsibility of the Chief Executive and therefore the board of all NHS Trusts (Hospital), community providers and primary care trusts (general practitioners). The foundation for clinical governance was set out in the Department of Health Publication 'A first class service-quality in the new NHS' [Department Of Health, A First Class Service: Quality in the New NHS, London, HMSO, 1998]. Much of this had been precipitated by the Bristol cardiac surgery case and other series of medical disasters in the UK relating to cervical screening, breast screening, psychiatric care and pathological misdiagnoses. This new responsibility of clinical governance involves guaranteeing quality through a number of processes, many of which are currently in use and should be familiar to any clinician or manager. They include clinical effectiveness and optimisation of clinical care, clinical risk management, learning from complaints, professional development, good quality clinical data systems and involvement of patients and carers. This duty is equal to the other statutory responsibilities of NHS organisations, which are of financial probity, accountability and ensuring value for public money on behalf of the taxpayer.
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OBJECTIVE: To determine whether nurse practitioners can provide care at first point of contact equivalent to doctors in a primary care setting. DESIGN: Systematic review of randomised controlled trials and prospective observational studies. DATA SOURCES: Cochrane controlled trials register, specialist register of trials maintained by Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, science citation index, database of abstracts of reviews of effectiveness, national research register, hand searches, and published bibliographies. INCLUDED STUDIES: Randomised controlled trials and prospective observational studies comparing nurse practitioners and doctors providing care at first point of contact for patients with undifferentiated health problems in a primary care setting and providing data on one or more of the following outcomes: patient satisfaction, health status, costs, and process of care. RESULTS: 11 trials and 23 observational studies met all the inclusion criteria. Patients were more satisfied with care by a nurse practitioner (standardised mean difference 0.27, 95% confidence interval 0.07 to 0.47). No differences in health status were found. Nurse practitioners had longer consultations (weighted mean difference 3.67 minutes, 2.05 to 5.29) and made more investigations (odds ratio 1.22, 1.02 to 1.46) than did doctors. No differences were found in prescriptions, return consultations, or referrals. Quality of care was in some ways better for nurse practitioner consultations. CONCLUSION: Increasing availability of nurse practitioners in primary care is likely to lead to high levels of patient satisfaction and high quality care.