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Social and welfare issues
Advanced practice nursing in primary care in OECD countries
Recent developments and persisting implementation challenges
The pandemic has stimulated growing interest in using advanced practice nurses such
as Nurse Practitioners (NPs) to address growing primary care needs linked to population
ageing and more people living with chronic conditions, although not all countries
are moving at the same speed. This OECD Health Working paper reviews recent developments
in advance practice nursing (APN) in primary care in OECD countries. It focusses on
NPs in those countries that are recognising this category of nurses, but also describes
the emergence of other categories of nurses taking on new roles such as family and
community nurses in some European countries. In those countries that have achieved
decisive breakthroughs in new forms of task sharing between primary care doctors (GPs)
and nurses, increasing the number of APNs in primary care is seen as a real opportunity
to respond to primary care needs and reduce pressures on GPs and hospitals.