Researchers in Bristol reviewed 34 studies to determine whether nurse practitioners working in primary care can provide equivalent care to doctors.
They found that patients were more satisfied with care by a nurse practitioner. Nurse practitioners had longer consultations and carried out more investigations than doctors. Nurse practitioners made more complete records and scored better on communication than doctors. They also offered more advice on self care and management.
“Our review lends support to an increased involvement of nurse practitioners in primary care,” say the authors. Nurse practitioners seem to provide a quality of care that is at least as good, and in some ways better, than doctors, although further research is needed to confirm that nurse practitioner care is safe in terms of detecting rare but important health problems.