NUR 740 Discussion 10.1: Scope of Practice and Patient Safety

NUR 740 Discussion 10.1: Scope of Practice and Patient Safety

It is apparent that scope of practice in the framework of healthcare practices has for long been a relatively controversial topic that has generated divergent opinions among distinct medical stakeholders. Based on the insights of the interview, I concur with your indications that laying out a lucid scope of practice guidelines for both physicians and non-physicians is integral towards fostering improved quality patient care. According to Cawley and Hooker (2018), clear scope of practice framework constitutes the fundamental basis for the development of collaborative care teams, which is critical in the realization of quality care deliverables among distinct healthcare providers. However, while it is true that patients require comprehensive awareness regarding distinct roles in healthcare, don’t you think that Michaela may also be right to insinuate that physician assistants may be wasting time lobbying for a title change? Although title transformation may indeed lead to the realization of the prevailing roles of physician assistants in contemporary care practices, it may also negatively alter the patients’ comprehension of the evolving responsibilities of non-physician assistants, thus putting the safety of patients in jeopardy (Al-Agba & Bernard, 2020).

References

Al-Agba, N., & Bernard, R. (2020). Patients at risk: The rise of the nurse practitioner and physician assistant in healthcare. Universal-Publishers.

Cawley, J. F., & Hooker, R. S. (2018). Determinants of the physician assistant/associate concept in global health systems. Int J Healthcare,k,, 4(1), 50-60. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijh.v4n1p50Links to an external site.

I agree with you that scope of practice between physician and non-physician providers creates a conducive environment for physician and non-physician providers to work together. The harmony and coexistence between these two groups of workers benefit both organizations and patients (Leem et al., 2019).  The scope of practice specifies the assignments rendered to both physicians and non-physician providers to reduce chances of conflict of interests or any form of disagreement between parties. The American Medical Association’s (AMA) understands the importance of coordination between physician and non-physician providers (Choi et al., 2019). Therefore, the organization leadership has created scope of practice to safeguard work environment for both groups of physicians. The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic necessitated additional nurses to attend to the increasing new cases of infections. As a result, physician and non-physician providers were important in handling patients of the pandemic both within and outside healthcare facilities.

References