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Dear Editor
Salisbury asks for evidence looking at consultation outcomes when for example nurse practitioners see patients compared with GPs. A randomised controlled trial comparing nurse practitioners with GPs (Bmj 320 (7241), 1048-1053, 2000) showed that nurse practitioner consultations were significantly longer than those of the general practitioners, nurses carried out more tests and asked patients to return more often. It doesn’t detract from her general point about the value of GP consultations and the importance of continuity of care. However, it is perhaps a false economy to employ additional roles as opposed to focusing on GPs. It does not seem to save money in the long run.
Re: Helen Salisbury: Knowing the size of the problem in general practice
Dear Editor
Salisbury asks for evidence looking at consultation outcomes when for example nurse practitioners see patients compared with GPs. A randomised controlled trial comparing nurse practitioners with GPs (Bmj 320 (7241), 1048-1053, 2000) showed that nurse practitioner consultations were significantly longer than those of the general practitioners, nurses carried out more tests and asked patients to return more often. It doesn’t detract from her general point about the value of GP consultations and the importance of continuity of care. However, it is perhaps a false economy to employ additional roles as opposed to focusing on GPs. It does not seem to save money in the long run.
Competing interests: No competing interests