The Role of a Nurse in a Multidisciplinary Team in Primary Health Care: Literature Review

Introduction. The primary health care system is facing the challenge of polymorbidity in aging population and a shortage of general practitioners. In many countries, advanced practice nurses can be a potential solution, since such specialists have the appropriate professional competencies and additional education which allows them to work autonomously and partly perform doctor’s role. At the same time, the organization of high-quality, patient-oriented and affordable medical care at the primary health care level is possible mainly through the work of multidisciplinary teams, which include not only doctors, but also qualified nurses. The purpose was to study the role of a nurse in a multidisciplinary team that provides primary medical care. Materials and methods. In this review, reporting method for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) was used. The search was carried out in eLibrary, PubMed, MEDLINE, Google Scholar bibliographic databases by keywords “primary health care”, “nurse”, “the role of a nurse”, and “multidisciplinary teams”. In addition, an analysis of Russian and foreign regulatory and methodological documents on official Internet portals with elements of information structuring was carried out. Results and discussion. All over the world, researchers emphasize the important role of nurses in the transition to new models of care and treatment aimed at improving the quality of medical services. For example, an extended access model was developed to improve the timely provision of medical services tailored to the needs and preferences of patients. Within the framework of the extended access model, nurses jointly work with family doctors and other specialists and manage patients with chronic diseases, thus reducing the number of visits to the doctor. Conclusion. There is a steady global trend towards teamwork in primary care medical organizations. Teamwork enables the provision of high-quality medical services, including those provided by enhanced practice nurses. The transformation of nursing practice in primary health care is considered a promising strategy to improve the quality and effectiveness of primary health care and address the unmet health needs of individuals, families and communities.