Change in the form of organizing nursing services in ambulatory health care. I.

The present article is the first of a cycle devoted to the scope of problems concerning independence in decision making while performing tasks at a workplace of a practice nurse in ambulatory health care, after the implementation of financial contracts from health services insurance. The objective was to determine changes at nursing workplaces in public and non-public health care after the implementation of health system reform. In order to achieve the assumed goal the method of diagnostic survey was applied. The study technique was a questionnaire form. The study was conducted in 2000, and covered 45 nurses from public and non-public units each, in Białystok and towns within an area of 100 kilometres. The results of the study indicated that the development and variations in the forms of organizing practice nurse services in ambulatory health care are not considerable. An increase in duties at nursing workplaces in ambulatory health care is neither actually connected with expenditures on services, nor with the widening of practice nurse decision area.