How well do general practitioners deliver palliative care? A systematic review

General practitioners (GPs) deliver the majority of palliative care to patients in the last year of life. This article seeks to examine the nature of GP care, perceptions of the GPs themselves and others of that care, the adequacy of palliative care training, issues relating to accessibility of GPs to palliative care patients, and strategies that may be of use in encouraging more effective delivery of palliative care by GPs. Medline and PubMed databases from 1966 to 2000 were searched, and 135 references identified. Sixty-six of these described studies relevant to GP palliative care. GPs value this part of their work. Most of the time, patients appreciate the contribution the GP makes to palliative care particularly if the GP is accessible, takes time to listen, allows patient and carer to ventilate their feelings, and is seen to be making efforts made regarding symptom relief. However, reports from bereaved relatives suggest that palliative care is performed less well in the community than in other settings. GPs express discomfort about their competence to perform palliative care adequately. They tend to miss symptoms which are not treatable by them, or which are less common. However, with appropriate specialist support and facilities, GPs have been shown to deliver sound and effective care. GP comfort working with specialist teams increases with exposure to this form of patient management, as does the understanding of the potential other team members have in contributing to the care of the patient. Formal arrangements engaging GPs to work with specialist teams have been shown to improve functional outcomes, patient satisfaction, improve effective use of resources and improve effective physician behaviour in other areas of medicine. Efforts by specialist services to develop formal involvement of GPs in the care of individual patients, may be an effective method of improving GP palliative care skills and appreciation of the roles specialist services can play.     

Australian health care reform: a place for nurse practitioners?

Nurses and health professionals across the board have argued for many years that the current health care system is not sustainable and reform is necessary if access to quality health care for all Australians is to continue.     

Population-focused care: a new rubric in the role definition for geriatric nurse practitioners in primary care practice?

Traditionally, geriatric nurse practitioners (GNPs) provide care to individual older adults and their families in a primary care practice. Although the goal is to provide high-quality, cost-effective care, GNPs may be providing ineffective care by narrowly focusing on individuals and their families. Given today's health care climate, it is essential that GNPs practice with a wider perspective. This is done by noting health issue trends among the specific older adult population that are targeted for care and planning that care with a population focus delineated by either health issues or characteristics of the older adult population.     

Evidence-based practice in primary care—An explorative study of nurse practitioners in Norway

Evidence-based practice (EBP) has been a priority in health care in recent decades. However, few studies have investigated EBP in primary care. The aim of this study was to explore the knowledge that nurses with a bachelor’s degree use in their clinical practice of primary care. Focus group interviews were used. The sample consisted of 20 nurses in primary care practice. The data were analysed with systematic text condensation. Our findings show that most nurses use their own knowledge, their colleagues’ knowledge, knowledge acquired during nursing education, nursing literature, and guidance from expert personnel, but seldom use research. We recommend improving and developing the clinical practice of primary care. Referring to and analysing specialist and scientific data about specific topics may lead nurses to critically evaluate their clinical practice, and may enhance their theoretical and scientific knowledge related to clinical practice.     

A transition program to primary health care for new graduate nurses: a strategy towards building a sustainable primary health care nurse workforce?

Background

This debate discusses the potential merits of a New Graduate Nurse Transition to Primary Health Care Program as an untested but potential nursing workforce development and sustainability strategy. Increasingly in Australia, health policy is focusing on the role of general practice and multidisciplinary teams in meeting the service needs of ageing populations in the community. Primary health care nurses who work in general practice are integral members of the multidisciplinary team – but this workforce is ageing and predicted to face increasing shortages in the future. At the same time, Australia is currently experiencing a surplus of and a corresponding lack of employment opportunities for new graduate nurses. This situation is likely to compound workforce shortages in the future. A national nursing workforce plan that addresses supply and demand issues of primary health care nurses is required. Innovative solutions are required to support and retain the current primary health care nursing workforce, whilst building a skilled and sustainable workforce for the future.

Discussion

This debate article discusses the primary health care nursing workforce dilemma currently facing policy makers in Australia and presents an argument for the potential value of a New Graduate Transition to Primary Health Care Program as a workforce development and sustainability strategy. An exploration of factors that may contribute or hinder transition program for new graduates in primary health care implementation is considered.

Summary

A graduate transition program to primary health care may play an important role in addressing primary health care workforce shortages in the future. There are, however, a number of factors that need to be simultaneously addressed if a skilled and sustainable workforce for the future is to be realised. The development of a transition program to primary health care should be based on a number of core principles and be subjected to both a summative and cost-effectiveness evaluation involving all key stakeholders.

     

Moral distress in nurse leaders—A scoping review of the literature

Nurse leaders face immense organizational pressures exacerbating their distress, which has not been prioritized as much as frontline nurses. This review synthesized the literature to examine theoretical models, measures, contributing factors, outcomes, and coping strategies related to moral distress in nurse leaders. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO were searched, and 15 articles—2 quantitative and 13 qualitative studies were extracted. The scoping review identified one study using a theoretical model and two measures—the ethical dilemmas questionnaire and the Brazilian moral distress scale. Contributing factors of moral distress include internal and organizational constraints, increased workload, and lack of support impacting physical and emotional well-being and intention to quit. This review did not yield any intervention studies emphasizing the need for research to identify specific predictors of moral distress and examine their relationship to nurse leader retention, so organizations can explore targeted interventions to promote coping and mitigate distress.