Care Coordination and the Expansion of Nursing Scopes of Practice

Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics 42 (1):93-103 (2014)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

Nurse practitioners can ease increased pressure on primary care shortage while providing a cost-effective and high-quality alternative to certain physician services. However, scope-of-practice laws are restrictive and their modification remains a source of controversy. Clearly, there is a need for new thinking around the scope of practice debate. This article conducted a review of literature and laws concerning the nursing scope of practice, as well as the outcomes of nurse-led care coordination models. It also examined different manifestations of the controversy that arises in scope of practice debates. We argue that improved care coordination is necessary to improve outcomes and “bend the cost curve downward.” Allowing nurse practitioners and other providers to practice to the full extent of their licenses will result in improved care coordination. This can be accomplished by expanding nursing and other providers' scopes of practice. But any health care reform strategy, particularly with respect to chronic care management, must also serve to activate the patient herself as the keystone in the coordinated care process. Focusing first on the patient's need for coordinated care may be what is necessary to move beyond the existing impasse between physicians and nurses on scope of practice expansion

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,616

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Ethics Education and Nursing Practice.P. Anne Scott - 1996 - Nursing Ethics 3 (1):53-63.
Ethical practice in end-of-life care in Japan.Shigeko Izumi - 2010 - Nursing Ethics 17 (4):457-468.
Nurses' collective responsibility and the strike weapon.James L. Muyskens - 1982 - Journal of Medicine and Philosophy 7 (1):101-112.
Professional values and nursing.Derek Sellman - 2011 - Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy 14 (2):203-208.

Analytics

Added to PP
2014-04-29

Downloads
30 (#459,535)

6 months
4 (#320,252)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author's Profile

Yuching Yang
Wuhan University of Technology

Citations of this work

No citations found.

Add more citations