Powers delegated to medical personnel vary depending on the status of employees and their training. For patient outcomes to be positive, it is crucial to ensure appropriate interaction among all the members of the treatment process. However, the roles of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physicians differ, and the functions they provide have a direct impact on the outcomes of certain interventions. According to Buerhaus, DesRoches, Dittus, and Donelan (2015), NPs spend more time than doctors “providing patient and family teaching” (p. 147). Moreover, despite the qualifications of the physician staff, they are unlikely to cope with performing the procedures assigned to nurses, in particular, assistance in meeting patients’ daily needs. Also, as Buerhaus et al. (2015) note, since doctors are often involved in research activities, they cannot spend much time interacting with patients directly. Accordingly, nursing care is an important component of the care process and guarantees positive patient outcomes.
The lack of effective interaction among the members of one system is fraught with not only misunderstanding but also poor treatment results. Boev and Xia (2015) argue that “nurses view collaboration as more positive and important than do physicians,” which is the relevant problem of the whole healthcare system (p. 67). The contribution of each employee is significant, and if doctors neglect the assistance of the junior staff, normal treatment conditions will not be achieved. Patients will not be able to receive valuable recommendations, and control over adherence to the treatment regimen will also be assigned to physicians. This, in turn, will divert them from their core responsibilities, and productivity indicators will decline. Each position involves the performance of certain duties; therefore, neglecting the help of NPs will not allow positive patient outcomes.
References
Boev, C., & Xia, Y. (2015). Nurse-physician collaboration and hospital-acquired infections in critical care. Critical Care Nurse, 35(2), 66-72. doi:10.4037/ccn2015809
Buerhaus, P. I., DesRoches, C. M., Dittus, R., & Donelan, K. (2015). Practice characteristics of primary care nurse practitioners and physicians. Nursing Outlook, 63(2), 144-153. doi:10.1016/j.outlook.2014.08.008