Nurse Practitioners: An Untapped Resource on the Overburdened Health System

Health care systems globally are facing challenges of meeting the growing demand for primary care services due to a shortage of primary care physicians. Policy makers and administrators are searching for solutions to increase the primary care capacity. While people of all ages receive emergency and critical care services across the world, the elderly population continues to exhaust a greater proportion of these services. The aging population and high prevalence of chronic illness have led to an increase in the demand for primary care that the current supply of primary health care providers may be unable to meet. With the impending rise in demand for health services, an effective utilization of the workforce is paramount to ensure high-quality yet cost-effective health service delivery. Efforts are underway for measures to enhance productivity through increasing the capacity of the workforce.