Since the Ontarian family doctors continue to struggle with the lack of doctors, nurses have also worked to fill the difference in the stretched system and now, the province has implemented regulatory changes that will enable them to provide additional services.
Provincial changes at one time will improve care and access to otterians when many people are struggling to reach a primary care doctor amid healthcare crisis.
“It’s a high time that we see it. Nurse physicians have expertise, they have education to fulfill these additional duties, and we welcome it,” said Erin Eris, president of the Ontario Nurse Association (ONA).
From July 1, nurse practitioners can apply defibrilater and cardiac pacemaker, order and demonstrate electrocutory and certify a death in more circumstances, it changes that ONA says that the doctor says that the physician will help in streamlining care without approval, while will also speed up the waiting time.
In Ontario, 2.5 million people are without a family doctor, but the Ontario Medical Association says that the number can be less than only two years. However, with 5,400 nurse physicians in the province, advocates argue that when they can fill the difference, they should also be compensated.
“We should use nurse physicians in our full scope of practice and primary care … It avoids staying in the hospital, it avoids all kinds of expenses,” Aris said. “Nurse physicians should be compensated for all what they do but in Ontario right now.”
About a year ago, nurse physicians expanded their role when the province allowed nurses to determine some type of birth control medicine and some vaccination.
“I think the government is working hard at utilizing people to the best of their availability and nurse practitioners, as you know, have great outcomes. So if we are going to catapult attaching patients to a primary care provider this is the time for nurse practitioners, “said Dr. Michelle Acorn, CEO, Nurse Practitioners Association of Ontario
Immediate care, primary care and liberal critic for primary care and public health, MPP Adil Shamji reported that this expansion of capabilities is a “small and overdated step”, but it does not address Ontario’s health care crisis on the full scale of crisis.
“Nurse physicians should be completely embraced in the public system, funded and integrated so that the Otelians can use their care through OHIP,” Shamji shared.
Advocates say they welcome additional and extended roles and say they will monitor the impact on the health care system here in Ontario and when they hope that even more obstacles will be removed in the future, they say that the nurses continue to support both economically and commercially.