The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has launched its new position statement on primary healthcare (PHC), which advocates for increased investment and development in nursing roles closer to patients’ homes, and highlights that the nursing profession is “at the forefront” of building “resilient, sustainable health systems”.
The mission statement was accompanied by a discussion paper, entitled Nursing and Primary Healthcare – Towards the realisation of Universal Health Coverage, both of which were unveiled in September at the 2024 Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nursing Network (NP/APN Network) Conference in Aberdeen, Scotland, to set out a roadmap for what the ICN called a “transformative agenda to revolutionise PHC”, and attain the goal of universal health coverage (UHC). The theme of this year’s conference was ‘Advanced practice nursing: An invaluable investment for global health’.
Commenting on UHC, ICN President Dr Pamela Cipriano said: “In the 2018 Astana Declaration, the nations of the world agreed that PHC is the only way to achieve meaningful UHC. This was further reinforced in the Political Declaration on UHC adopted by United Nations member states last year. As Co-chair of the Steering Committee of UHC2030, which provides a global platform for multiple stakeholders to connect as they work to advance progress towards achieving UHC by 2030, I know that governments are increasingly aware of the importance of a well-supported nursing and healthcare workforce, that are essential for PHC.”
The document states that when functioning optimally, PHC offers “significantly improved health outcomes” for patients, particularly those with chronic diseases, and is associated with reduced mortality rates; improved quality-of-life; effective illness prevention; better patient experiences; and less social disparities, among other benefits. It also identifies a range of significantly effective nurse-led models of care, such as nurse-led clinics and vaccination programmes, and emphasises the “crucial role” advanced nurse practitioners in particular can play in optimising PHC in view of their rich levels of knowledge, skills, and experience.
Dr Cipriano acknowledged the many challenges that currently exist, such as limited resources, an “underused workforce, gaps in professional preparation for certain healthcare needs, concerns about patient safety, and a lack of continuity of care”, and reinforced that nursing is the primary discipline that can surmount these and other barriers to optimal PHC provision, and ultimately, UHC. “It is time to unleash the untapped potential of nurses so that they can lead this critical journey towards a better future for all,” she said.
ICN Chief Executive Officer Howard Catton, who launched both documents at the conference, said: “Intelligence from our National Nurses Associations around the world confirms the need for a complete reorientation of health systems from their current focus on sickness, disease, and a medical-orientated approach. Instead, we need to have health systems that are oriented towards health, wellbeing, integration, and people-centredness. We have seen health systems struggling under huge strain and near collapse as they strive to cope with ever growing needs and a lack of proper investment. Nurse-led PHC is the way forward if our health systems are to thrive and be sustained in the years to come.
“This conference is the ideal place to launch these new documents because it is advanced practice nurses, who I think of as the solution that has been there, right in front of us, who will lead the revolution in PHC and make UHC a reality. We need to harness their power and influence, and translate it into properly funded, people-centred, nurse-led models of care.
“Around the world, nurses are extending their scopes of practice and practising at a higher level in larger numbers than ever before. These cadres of nurses will expand as funding is put in place to train and educate increasing numbers of colleagues who will, in turn, move the focus of care into the community. Because that is where the vast majority of conditions originate, and it is where they can be prevented if the correct interventions are delivered by the most appropriate professionals in a timely manner, right inside people’s homes and communities.”
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