Overview

Editors:

Patricia M Davidson
School of Nursing and Midwifery
Curtin University of Technology, Sydney NSW

Elizabeth J Halcomb
Centre for Applied Nursing Research
Sydney South West Area Health Service, NSW

Elizabeth Patterson
Gold Coast Health Service District
Griffith University, QLD

This Special Edition explores the role of nurses internationally in a range of primary health care settings in both independent and collaborative practice and also investigates regulatory and professional concerns. This international perspective allows nurses to explore issues relating to interdisciplinary practice and emulate effective and efficient models in engaging communities.

The primary care setting and the role of nurses in primary care is increasing in importance and focus. In Australia, in particular, the role of the general practice nurse is being endorsed through positive changes in funding models, health policy and increasing research and scholarship. Advances in Contemporary General Practice Nursing provides a forum for discussion and debate of the role of nursing in primary care in both collaborative and independent settings.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Increasing research in primary care: critical for consolidating nurses position in the primary health care team
Kathleen Dracup

Section 1: Role of the Practice Nurse

Section Editorial: Practice Nursing in Australia: Ready for Prime Time
Patricia M Davidson, Elizabeth J Halcomb and Elizabeth Patterson

Nurses in general practice settings: roles and responsibilities
Kay Price

Where does practice nursing fit in primary health care?
Merilyn Annells

Section 2: Professional Issues

Section Editorial: Professional organisations and regulatory bodies: Forging and advancing the role of nurses in Australian primary care
John Daly and Rosemary Bryant

Leadership in primary health care: An international perspective
Anne McMurray

Divisions of general practice and practice nurse development in Australia
Sally Hall

Multiprofessional working, interprofessional learning and primary care: a way forward?
Debra Humphris

Policy development to support nursing in Australian General Practice: An overview
Julie Porritt

Section 3: Perspective on Health Professionals in the Primary Care Setting

Opinion Piece: Investing in primary care nursing: an important strategy in improving the health and well-being of women
Afaf I Meleis

Expanding roles of Aboriginal health workers in the primary care setting: Seeking recognition
Penny Abbott, Elaine Gordon and Joyce Davison

Practice nursing in rural Australia
Desley Hegney

Nurses in primary care and the nurse practitioner role in Thailand
Somchit Hanucharurnkul

Meeting a primary care challenge in the United States: Chronic illness care
JoAnne M Saxe, Susan L Janson, Patricia M Dennehy, Suzan Stringari-Murray, Jane E Hirsch and Catherine M Waters

Primary Health Care Nurse Practitioners in Canada
Alba DiCenso, Lucille Auffrey, Denise Bryant-Lukosius, Faith Donald, Ruth Martin-Misener, Sue Matthews and Joanne Opsteen

Section 4: A way forward for practice nursing

Opinion Piece: Research & Development: Reflections of Practice Nurse Research Fellows
Lynne Walker and Judy Evans

The research potential of practice nurses: What contribution to primary health care research?
Julie J Yallop and Brian R McAvoy

Strategic directions for developing the Australian general practice nurse role in cardiovascular disease management
Elizabeth J Halcomb, Patricia M Davidson, Julie Yallop, Rhonda Griffiths and John Daly

Time to talk, time to see: changing microeconomies of professional practice among nurses and doctors in Australian general practice
Christine Phillips, Kathryn Dwan, Christopher Pearce, Sally Hall, Julie Porritt, Rachel Yates and Bonnie Sibbald

Epilogue

Exploring the development of Australian General Practice Nursing: Where we have come from and where to from here?
Elizabeth J Halcomb, Patricia M Davidson and Elizabeth Patterson

Book Review

Clinical Judgement and Communication in Nurse Practitioner Practice by Susan K Chase
Debra Thoms