Challenges and Responsibilities in Australian Healthcare System

RUNNING HEAD: Australian healthcare system 1
Foundations of Australian Healthcare System
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Australian healthcare system 2
Question 1
Nursing in Australia has had various challenges that has necessitated changes in nurse
responsibilities as well as change in legislation all over the country. Some of the changes I the
legislation includes allowing nurses to diagnose various illnesses and prescribe various
medications. This is important in various aspects and to various stakeholders such as the
government, hospital management, health workers as well as patients. This legislation allows
various diseases to be handled by smaller healthcare facilities which eases congestion at the
higher level facilities.
According to Scanlon, Cashin, Bryce, Kelly, & Buckely, (2016) allowing nursing
practitioners to diagnose some diseases and also prescribe some drugs is one of the ways in
which various challenges have been addressed. From the government’s perspective. This is quite
a good approach as it helps the government to achieve its objectives in the provision of
healthcare such as the universal healthcare Medicare programs. Allowing nurses to diagnose and
prescribe treatment to a limited number of diseases helps to reduce shortages of healthcare
personnel while at the same time maintaining high quality standards of healthcare and clinical
competence
According to Duckett, & Willcox, (2015), it is also important to allow nurses to diagnose
some diseases and prescribe various medications. This improves their clinical competence levels
as they are able to continue learning even as they work. It also helps the more qualified doctors
to deal with more serious conditions which eases the workload. However, one of the challenges
facing the implementation is nursing shortages in the country and such a legislation does not
provide for the solution to the shortage.