The MoH has extended the responsibilities and scope of practice for
specialist nurses in the community in order to relieve some of the
pressure on primary care physicians. The newly-recognized competencies
are in four main areas of activity:
- treating mild, acute diseases and cases that are urgent but simple to treat;
- treating and monitoring patients with chronic diseases;
- preventative care and health promotion; and
- granting health certificates and representing patients before statutory authorities.
Additionally,
specialist nurses can now prescribe medications and contraceptives.
They can also provide palliative care and refer patients to diagnostic
tests, specialists, and emergency departments.
Although this policy change has the potential to improve primary care in the community, a further challenge is the low number of nurses per population. Israel has one of the lowest rates of nurses among OECD countries (at 4.9 per 1,000 population compared to the OECD average of 9 in 2015).