Hiding in Plain Sight: Nursing Solutions in Health Care Reform

Venue: Auditorium, Ground Floor, Peter Doherty Institute

Presenters: Professor Glenn Gardner

The Australian Health care system has achieved remarkable gains for the health of our population in terms of longevity and technological and scientific advances in management and cure of common diseases. These healthcare gains, however, are not available to all and there is stark contrast in health status between various population sectors. Furthermore, advances in health care have come at a cost; there is general and broad agreement that Australia cannot continue with the current rate of health expenditure. Treasury projections of increasing levels of health spending into the future have pundits questioning the sustainability of Australia's healthcare system.

These observations are generally acknowledged, and have been roundly debated and reported by various advisory groups, commissions, reform bodies and taskforces. Most of these have been constituted by a succession of worried governments seeking ready solutions to the twin problems of escalating health care costs and equitable and timely access to health care.

Many of the proffered solutions are comfortable for governments that are seemingly seeking change with little disruption to existing structures. But our health care system has moved beyond the luxury of incremental and comfortable change – radical change is called for if we are to begin to halt spiraling health care costs and achieve sustainable improvement in access to high quality, safe health care for all sectors of the population.

Nursing is the largest single health discipline, and advanced practice models are well positioned to play a role in health service reform. To date, the contribution of nursing remains largely invisible and under-utilised. Professor Gardner's objective in this lecture is to discuss the above contextual features of contemporary health care as they intersect with evidence based solutions to workforce reform. Gardner's focus will be on revealing the potential of advanced practice nursing and nurse practitioner service to contribute to patient-centred multidisciplinary care for Australian communities.

Dr Gardner is Professor of Nursing at Queensland University of Technology, Australia.

from
https://events.unimelb.edu.au/events/6649-hiding-in-plain-sight-nursing-solutions-in-health-care-reform