LettersGo beyond cash: empower Hong Kong nurses to offer specialty support in primary health care
- Relief measures like the Specialty Nurse Allowance are welcome but short-sighted
- Specialisation in nursing is a global trend. Hong Kong may learn from the experiences of the US and other developed nations, where nurse practitioners can provide high quality primary care and help reduce overall health care costs
To become a specialty nurse, one has to be extensively trained and well-educated on a par with international standards. Offering HK$2,000 per month to those who have completed a specialty nursing programme is less effective than creating career development opportunities for such nurses in Hong Kong. So far, a plan for reforming career pathways for specialty nurses in line with international practices, to address the city’s dynamic social and health care needs, has yet to be established.
Nurse consultants can be empowered to take up nurse practitioner roles if the related education programme, accreditation mechanism and practice framework are available
In view of today’s increasingly complex health care environment, relief measures such as the Specialty Nurse Allowance are rather short-sighted. We need a long-term plan for the professional and career development of specialty nurses, in which education is of prime importance.
For specialty nursing education, Hong Kong may learn from the experiences of the United States and other developed countries, where nurse practitioners have proven effective in providing high quality primary care and reducing overall health care costs.
Nurse consultants in Hong Kong can be empowered to take up nurse practitioner roles if the related education programme, accreditation mechanism and practice framework are available. The Chinese University of Hong Kong has taken the initiative to incorporate nurse practitioner components into its Doctor of Nursing curriculum, but a more systematic approach to develop nurse practitioners needs the collaborative effort of the government, the profession and the education sector.
With specialisation in nursing a global trend, nurses with higher education degrees and specialty qualifications will become the norm in the near future. Hong Kong should keep pace with the times.