A primary health care provider says nurse practitioners could be used more widely in regional South Australia to improve access to health care.
A nurse practitioner began consultations in Pinnaroo last November, under the supervision of a GP in Loxton via videolink.
Country South SA Medicare Local said local residents were now able to see a GP five days a week – up from three days.
Chief executive Lincoln Size said it was a good result for the local community.
“There were clear perceptions from both the nurse practitioner and the general practitioner’s patients that it was easier to access health care at the practice and that it was happy to support the nurse practitioner’s service overall,” he said.
He said the model could be replicated in other regional towns.
“This is something that we wanted to try up and prove up because it provides a solution, a workforce solution, where there isn’t necessarily a resident GP in an area,” he said.
“So in terms of replicating this to other areas, it is a very strong model and going forward we’d like to think that this body of evidence we have around this nurse practitioner model can be picked up and replicated in other rural areas.”