[Nurses in private practice in France].

In the French health care system, most nurses work in hospitals as salaried, but a number are also salaried in health centers or operate in their private offices. About 48,000 are private practitioners, they provide nearly all the ambulatory nursing care to the population. A survey undertaken in early 2004 shows that on the average, their weekly working time is 40 hours: 10 hours are devoted to injections, 9 to dressings, 17 to nursing care and 4 to other activities. Out of 10 nurses in private practice, 3 think that their workload is too heavy. Moreover, 19% declare that they are willing to leave private practice over the 3 coming years. If all the individual plans become reality, more that 9000 private nurses would disappear during the coming years from a workforce of 48,000:2900 would retire, 2700 would become salaried in hospitals, 3200 would take up an other job and 400 would become temporary workers in interim companies. Will the tasks they let be carried out by their remaining colleagues? No doubt that this will not be the case only 7% of the surveyed professionals declare that they are willing to increase their workload. As nurses shortage in French hospitals is evident nowadays, it seems that shortage in ambulatory care is unavoidable. The surveyed nurses point out 3 important difficulties they are encountering. One nurse out of 4 complain about the heavy administrative procedures i.e. the numerous and complex forms they have to fill out. One out of 6 complains about the lack of locum tenets. Furthermore, one out of 15 are in favour of suppressing the official "Nursing Care Approach" which was promoted recently, precisely to highlight the importance of their professional work.