Posted: September 30th, 2024

Family Nurse Practice Challenges And Opportunities Essay

Family Nurse Practice: Current And Future Challenges And Opportunities.

Numerous advancements ranging from engineering marvels to novel products in the field of medicine, among other advances, have greatly and positively impacted modern society especially in relation to enhancement of people’s lives. The impact of these advancements has been particularly significant in the healthcare sector, where new technologies and treatments have improved patient outcomes and quality of life. Consequently, this has led to increased income levels where people can afford specialized healthcare services as well as a burgeoning aging population that creates increased demand for individualized medical services best offered by family or primary care nurse practitioners (NPs). As a result, the demand for primary care NPs has increased, and they are now playing a vital role in providing healthcare services to individuals and families.

As Brown (1997) asserts, primary care NPs play a vital role in family and children’s health inspite of the various challenges they face; which have been amplified by negative trends in healthcare provision in the country especially pressing nursing shortages. These challenges have significant implications for the healthcare system, and addressing them is crucial to ensuring that primary care NPs can continue to provide high-quality care to their patients. This paper discusses the political, legal, economic and ethical issues that face family nurse practitioners presented as current and future challenges and opportunities likely to influence family nursing practice.

Donelan’s (2013) study on primary care NPs and physicians’ perspectives about their roles in primary care reveals the reduced scope of practice facing primary care NPs which includes lack of hospital admitting privileges and reduced remuneration for clinical services, among others. The limited scope of practice for primary care NPs is a significant concern, as it can impact their ability to provide comprehensive care to their patients and can also affect their job satisfaction and career advancement opportunities. This state of affairs can be traced to the regulations instituted by various medical organizations on primary care NPs roles and responsibilities despite their abilities in provision of primary healthcare services similar to physicians as acknowledged by Poghosyan (2013).

These regulations present both current and future challenges to primary care health provision as well as for providers; amidst a pressing primary care health providers’ shortage, which is bound to reduce these limitations as primary care NPs are the best candidates to address the problem. The shortage of primary care providers is a significant concern, as it can impact access to healthcare services, particularly in rural and underserved areas. Despite similar challenges in Canada, as expressed by Donald et al. (2010), primary care NPs have larger scopes of practice which means that those in the United States (US) are bound to face similar legal and political challenges involving regulation and liability involving scope of practice and malpractice.

As such, family nurse practitioners (FNPs) will have to petition for scraping of regulations that limit their scope of practice while also bracing themselves for increased responsibilities and the legal hurdles that accompany them especially malpractice lawsuits, in an increasingly regulated medical environment. FNPs will need to be proactive in advocating for changes to regulations and laws that impact their practice, and they will also need to be prepared to take on additional responsibilities and challenges as their scope of practice expands.

The authority to bill and receive direct payments from patients and restrictions in starting independent primary care practices as highlighted by Yee (2013) exposes the extent to which regulation limits primary care NPs roles and responsibilities including economic benefits. The restrictions on billing and payment can impact the financial sustainability of primary care NP practices, and can also limit their ability to provide care to patients who may not have access to other healthcare providers. This is because primary care NPs are required to work in teams that are headed by physicians to take lead in almost all the relevant healthcare roles ranging from ordering medical tests to reception of payments from the patients; roles that primary care NPs are capable of performing.

If these limitations are lifted as advocated for by Naylor & Kurtzman (2010), FNPs will face new economic challenges as well as opportunities in relation to establishing a practice as well as increased direct revenues from quality service provision. The lifting of these limitations could also lead to increased competition among healthcare providers, which could drive innovation and improve patient outcomes. Additionally, challenges involving relationships between patients and primary care NPs will have to be faced as already established family physicians are seen as Medicare approved healthcare providers that Van der Horst (1992) calls informal gatekeepers of the healthcare system.

As such, FNPs will be forced to cater to individuals who are not insured by Medicare, which has the most customers, meaning that the FNPs will not have many economic opportunities. This could impact the financial sustainability of FNP practices, and could also limit their ability to provide care to patients who may not have access to other healthcare providers. Moreover, family physicians will continue to feel threatened because the FNPs will dilute the economic opportunities available.

With relaxation of regulations on limitations of scope of practice for FNPs, they will have to face the ethical considerations that family physicians have to face in their practice. FNPs will need to be aware of the ethical implications of their practice, and will need to be prepared to address complex ethical dilemmas that may arise in the course of their work. In a case presenting obesity by Caulfield (2007), the author discusses the legal and potential ethical issues that primary care NPs will be faced with, which will be similar to those faced by family physicians.

One of the ethical considerations required of family nurse practitioners involves standard of care which they will be required to extend to their patients by providing the best care possible inspite of varied patients characteristics. This will require FNPs to be aware of the latest research and evidence-based practices, and to be able to apply this knowledge in a way that is tailored to the individual needs of each patient. This will include issues involving differences in culture or other elements that may inhibit the primary care NPs in providing primary care which may compromise a patient’s health and wellbeing.

Another major issue would have to involve the facility of informed consent which acts as an obligation of providing all information related to a patient’s condition so that he/she can make a well-informed decision about their treatment options. FNPs will need to be aware of the importance of informed consent, and will need to be able to communicate complex information in a way that is clear and understandable to their patients. Though more legal than ethical especially when the outcome involves negligence and potential lawsuits, it would be unethical if a patient’s life would be threatened by treatment of his condition based on incomplete information.

Changes in advances involving technology have positively changed a lot of lives especially in terms of healthier lives and increased economic independence that increases access to individualized care as that offered by family nurse practitioners. However, these advances also bring new challenges and opportunities for FNPs, who will need to be able to adapt to new technologies and to use them in a way that improves patient outcomes. However, FNPs face a lot of political, legal, economic and ethical issues which are firmly tied to regulations that limit the scope of practice of FNPs such as the lack of hospital admitting privileges and reduced remuneration for clinical services among others.

The ethical and political issues are highly related to legal considerations involving informed consent and standards of care among others, which would create more challenges involving negligence and potential lawsuits. FNPs will need to be aware of the complex interplay between these issues, and will need to be prepared to address them in a way that prioritizes patient care and well-being. Further, the economic issues also revolve around the prevailing political and legal issues of regulation which first and foremost require physicians to lead and informally preside over FNPs despite having similar expertise and abilities.

As such, all these issues present not only current challenges but also future ones if they are not addressed. It is essential that FNPs, policymakers, and other stakeholders work together to address these challenges and to create a healthcare system that is more supportive of FNPs and the care they provide.

Order | Check Discount

Tags: Ethical Considerations, Family Nurse Practitioners, Healthcare Regulation, Primary Care Challenges, Scope of Practice