What the new French nursing law will change for patients
Law looks to increase power of nurses to combat low levels of care in medical deserts
Nurses will have more rights to prescribe care and medicines under new rules
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A new law covering the nursing profession has been definitely passed by Senators, after it was previously approved by MPs earlier this month.
The law will expand the role and power of nurses in the healthcare sector, allowing them to prescribe more drugs and treatments as well as recognise their ability to diagnose patients.
It means that for certain patients, access to healthcare will be quicker and smoother as nurses will not have to pass on their recommendations to other healthcare workers (such as a doctor or surgeon) and be able to directly prescribe the care themselves.
“This law marks a turning point for our profession. It strongly affirms the competence, responsibility and capacity of nurses to act in line with the needs of the population,” said president of the Conseil national de l’Ordre des infirmiers (national order of nurses) Sylvaine Mazière-Tauran.
“We will be there when it is implemented and will pay particular attention to ensuring that the implementing decrees live up to its ambition,” she added in a press release on the passage of the law.
What else does law allow for?
Nursing consultations are intended to cover areas that fall within the specific role of nurses and allow for the general prescription of products and additional tests necessary for nursing care.
The list of products and tests will be defined after consultation with the Haute autorité de santé (HAS) and the National Academy of Medicine.
The main points of the bill, summarised by the national order of nurses and the government, are as follows:
Recognition of nursing consultation and diagnosis, affirming the ability of nurses to conduct independent clinical reasoning
Direct access for patients to certain nursing care, based on the nurse's own role and, on an experimental basis, through a nurse’s prescriptions. This can include ‘preventive, curative, palliative, relational or clinical monitoring’ needs
Extension of rights for nurses to prescribe care and medicines to patients
Integration of patient guidance into nursing duties, and increased harmonisation between nurses and other healthcare professionals in a patient’s overall care
Greater participation of nurses in primary care, screening and health education
Recognition of core missions and a new definition of the profession, independent of the place or mode of practice
Involvement in training and scientific research
In addition, the law also looks to improve the number of infirmiers en pratique avancée (advanced practice nurses) who have greater responsibilities such as prescribing medicines, including in new sectors such as maternal care and child welfare.
Specialist nurses in certain fields will be able to apply to be advanced practice nurses while retaining work in their sector (such as anaesthetists and paediatric nurses).
A return to work scheme for nurses who have been out of the profession for at least six years is also to be introduced.
In particular, politicians hope the law will help improve access to healthcare in medical deserts, as nurses will be able to provide key care in place of doctors and other specialists with whom patients may find it hard to obtain an appointment.
The law is set to be passed via presidential authority in the next two weeks, and is considered unlikely to require scrutiny by the Constitutional Council.
