General practitioners’ perceptions of a community-based nurse-led assessment clinic for patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia

Abstract

The prevalence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) increases with age; therefore, this condition is likely to rise as people live longer. This poses challenges in how best health services can be organized to diagnose, treat or manage this disease effectively. A community-based nurse-led clinic was set up to assess and advice people with BPH who were referred by general practitioners (GPs). The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of GPs of the value and benefits of the nurse-led BPH clinic. Two focus groups were carried out with a random sample of 10 GPs (five in each group). The findings showed that the assessment carried out at the clinic by the specialist nurse helped them to avoid the ‘trial and error’ approach that GPs sometimes used in treating this condition. Although they did not find that the clinic reduced their (GPs) workload, it offered a valuable, enhanced service to help them make accurate diagnosis and prescribe appropriately, thereby contributing to the quality of life of patients. This study showed that nurses’ and doctors’ work can complement each other to the benefit of patients. It adds to the growing evidence that appropriate skill mix can contribute to effective practice.