How to Understand Primary Health Care Nursing

Managed care jargon has changed how we discuss health care. What used to be called general medicine, family medicine, pediatrics and other terms used to discuss seeing your doctor in an office setting has now become known as primary care. Nurses working in this setting can perform roles ranging from acting as assistants to physicians to taking the lead on diagnostic work and patient education. It, of course, depends on the practice. However, as a nurse's role has progressed and her wages increased, fewer practices can justify having nurses perform non-clinical tasks.

Instructions

• 1

  Consider that nurses have a scope of practice afforded them by state laws, the American Nurses Association and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, which deems them practitioners of nursing care. That means they can make independent assessments, make decisions and take many clinical decisions independently of a physician. Nursing interventions do not include --- with the occasional exception of nurse practitioners --- surgical procedures, prescription of medication or diagnosis.

• 2

  Figure that nurses are not only capable, but mandated by nursing scope of practice to educate patients. Therefore, in a primary care setting, nurses are often the ones helping patients to understand their medications, courses of treatments and any precautions they must take. Physicians can do this, but often delegate the task to nurses.

• 3

  Examine nurses' education. It includes a significant amount of information on nutrition, exercise and how these relate to different health conditions. As a result, nurses often do most of the counseling and follow-up work with patients suffering from diabetes, obesity and other conditions that involve diet and exercise. Additionally, diet and blood sugar monitoring are areas where nurses can operate independently and therefore take custody of a patient's case.

• 4

  Study the role of the nurse practitioner who, in many states, can diagnose basic medical issues such as allergies, influenza and strep throat. She can also write prescriptions for medications that correspond to these common illnesses. Nurse practitioners must have a supervising physician to whom their license is tied. They are required to review their cases with their supervisors and refer patients to their physician for anything that appears beyond their scope of practice.

• 5

  Observe that nurses in primary care settings usually administer medications, inoculations and most in-office treatments such as use of a vaporizer or nebulizer. They will usually report adverse reactions or problems to their physicians as well as express concerns and make recommendations to physicians based on their observations.