 |
| Research article summary (published 30 Dec 2001): |
Nurses and English primary care groups: their experiences and perceived influence on policy development.
Full Abstract
AIMS
OF THE STUDY:
To investigate the experiences and perceived influence of nurses serving on English primary care group boards.
BACKGROUND:
The development of the nursing workforce and nursing services in primary care have been piecemeal and nurses have not always contributed to policy development. The recent establishment of primary care groups (PCGs) in the United Kingdom (UK) potentially offers nurses the opportunity to take a concerted and strategic role in developing professional roles and planning service developments.
RESEARCH METHODS:
As part of a longitudinal study of a 15% random sample of English primary care groups, nurse board members were surveyed in the winter of 1999. One hundred and forty-four nurses were invited to return self-completion questionnaires.
RESULTS:
Completed questionnaires were returned by 106 of those invited to participate (73%). Respondents reported that combining their usual work with their role in the PCG was frequently difficult. Only 26% perceived that they had been well prepared for their new role. Compared with other board members [for example, general practitioners (GPs)], nurses perceived that their own influence was limited, with only a quarter rating the influence of nurses on decision-making as great. Most of the sample were feeding back information to other primary care and community nurses working in the locality and 52% rated communication with this wider constituency as good or better. Nurse board members were enthusiastic about their role and optimistic about the positive future impact of PCGs on health.
CONCLUSIONS:
PCGs are still at a relatively early stage in their development. It is still too early to assess their impact on nurses working in primary care and community settings. Board membership offers nurses a voice in local health policy development.
Learn Faster Today Improve your study skills
Author information
Author/s: Dowswell, Therese (T); Wilkin, David (D); Banks-Smith, Jennifer (J);
Affiliation: National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. s.heyes(-atsign-)man.ac.uk
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article
Journal: Journal of advanced nursing (J Adv Nurs), published in England. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2002-Jan; vol 37 (issue 1) : pp 35-42
Dates: Created 2002/01/10; Completed 2002/02/19; Revised 2004/11/17;
PMID: 11784396, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
External Links for this article (including full text providers, if available):
Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.
This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.
MeSH headings (categories)
This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.
|
|
Related articles
This article has not been indexed for related articles as yet, however you can still use the live related article search links below.
See a large map of 100+ related articles.