Nurse practitioners should be first point of contact, British medical association says. (Health).LONDON -- Nurse practitioners nurse practitioner n. Abbr. NP A registered nurse with special training for providing primary health care, including many tasks customarily performed by a physician. , not family doctors, would be the first point of contact for patients under a new proposal from the British Medical Association The British Medical Association (BMA) is the trade union to which the vast majority of British doctors belong. It is based in Tavistock Square in central London. It owns the "British Medical Journal". . The plan is intended to free up doctors to deal with serious ailments. A BMA BMA British Medical Association. poll showed that patients with minor problems were happy to be seen by a nurse practitioner or advised by a community pharmacist. The nurse practitioner would assess the patient, provide information and decide if a consultation with a family doctor is required. If a consultation is not necessary, a patient could be directed to one or a combination of community pharmacist, family welfare worker or benefits advice worker. The plan is aimed at overcoming the confusion and frustration, duplication of effort, and waste of time and resources common in the National Health Service, said BMA chair Ian Bogle bo·gle n. A hobgoblin; a bogey. [Scots bogill, perhaps ultimately from Welsh bwg, ghost, hobgoblin. . |
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