Cass Shum
Nurse management of patients with minor illnesses in general practice: multicentre, randomised controlled trial
General Department of Preventive Medicine|The King's College|St Thomas' Hospital
assess acceptability safety minor illness service led practice nurses general practicemulticentre randomised controlled trial5 general practices south east london kent representing semirural suburban urban settings1815 patients requesting offered day appointments receptionistspatients assigned treatment either specially trained nurse general practitioner patients seen nurse referred general practitioner appropriatethe general satisfaction patients measured consultation satisfaction questionnaire outcome measures included length consultation number prescriptions written rates referral general practitioners patients reported health status patients anticipated behaviour seeking health care future number patients returned surgery visits accident emergency hours calls doctorspatients satisfied nurses doctors significantly satisfied consultations nurses mean sd score satisfaction 786 16 0 100 points nurses v 764 178 doctors 95 confidence interval difference means 407 038 consultations nurses took 10 minutes compared 8 minutes consultations doctors nurses doctors wrote prescriptions similar proportion patients nurses 481736 654 v doctors 518816 635 577790 73 patients seen nurses managed without input doctorspractice nurses seem offer effective service patients minor illnesses request day appointments