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Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn and his ministry are currently planning a nursing reform law that envisages a so-called blanket order granting nursing professionals more competence and personal responsibility. The Ärzte-Zeitung already has a corresponding paper that describes the new regulation in more detail as an updated working draft.

Accordingly, the treating family doctor then only decides whether therapy is necessary, but not on the type, frequency and duration of treatment. The latter will then be in the hands of the treatment provider, who, as a nursing specialist, will be given more responsibility in home health care. However, a prerequisite for the good implementation of the new regulation is that the nursing specialist has the appropriate qualifications. A regular exchange with the physician is also necessary for this. In this way, the Federal Minister of Health wants to „further strengthen well-trained nursing specialists in interprofessional cooperation.“

The „blank prescription“ could take effect above all in wound treatment, but also in the provision of compression stockings and tights, and could lead to more responsibility for nursing staff in the provision of care – physiotherapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists have also been authorized to act independently for certain indications since January. The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) is to determine all details in accordance with the guidelines.

However, the new regulation is meeting with unease, especially among the medical profession, because physicians do not want to transfer ultimate responsibility to specially trained nurses. Physicians‘ functionaries are reluctant to transfer competence and personal responsibility to hierarchically subordinate structures in home health care; they doubt the independent fulfillment of the areas of responsibility transferred to nurses.

Nursing associations see this completely differently, because they have also been calling for more personal responsibility in diabetes and pressure ulcer treatment for some time.

Source: www.aerztezeitung.de