Closing the gaps
Closing the gaps is a recurring theme for International Nurses Day being celebrated on May 12.
For our IND edition we look close to home at some initiatives by New Zealand nursing to increase access and improve health outcomes for Kiwi patients – particularly the long awaited prescribing ‘revolution’.
Statistics New Zealand in April announced that the gap in Māori and non-Māori life expectancy had narrowed slightly from nine years in the mid-1990s to 7.3 years. That means Māori men’s life expectancy is still only 72.8 years compared to non-Māori men’s 80 years.
In this edition Far North whānau ora NP Adrianne Murray shares her down-to-earth, community-driven approach that is beginning to bring Māori men back into the health care fold.
Doctoral candidate Reena Kainamu also puts the argument for why more focus is needed to recruit and retain Maori nursing students to meet Māori health needs.
Another existing and growing gap is between patient demand for primary health care (PHC) and what stretched general practice can deliver.
We look at MidCentral’s nurse-led acute care walk-in clinics as one response to meeting the demand for same day care for minor illnesses and ailments.
PHC nurse Nicola Russell also argues that it is time for the 2001 PHC Strategy to live up to its promise – to deliver a more flexible, accessible, population-focused model of care – after years of largely “business as usual” in general practice.
Lastly and far from least, this edition is celebrating just some of the nursing heroes whose everyday extraordinary efforts continue to make a difference in today’s lean and demanding health system.
Fiona Cassie, Editor
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