Profiling the South African private nurse practitioner

Abstract

Although private practice has existed in South Africa since the 19th century, the difference between private practice and the private sector continues to confound, and the role that private nurse practitioners fulfil is the subject of many myths. The Society of Private Nurse Practitioners of South Africa (SPNP) recently undertook a survey to determine the profile and characteristics of private nurse practitioners in South Africa. This survey included professional nurses or midwives registered with the SA Nursing Council and known to be a private nurse practitioner, or in possession of a practice number from the Board of Healthcare Funders of Southern Africa (BHF). The provisional results of the survey describing the characteristics of private nurse practitioners in South Africa are presented.