Letters
Practice nursing
EDITOR, - In reply to Mark R Williamson's suggestion that practice nurses should be freed from having to take blood,1 I would point out that many of the seemingly routine tasks carried out in general practice allow staff to form relationships with patients; this bond will be of particular benefit at times of severe illness, trauma, or emotional distress. Furthermore, routine tasks done by practice nurses often give patients the opportunity to clarify earlier discussions with their doctor, and several studies have suggested that patients use nurses to explain what has been said by the doctor.2,3
For patients with chronic diseases who receive hospital based care but whose condition is monitored by a general practice, the practice nurse may be the only health professional they see for three months or more. Such chronic diseases may cause problems with everyday living on which an experienced nurse can offer care and advice,
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- Practice nursing Free nurses from taking blood
- M R Williamson and J Stevenson
BMJ 1994 308: 1105.[Extract] [Full Text]
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