Barriers to developing the nurse practitioner role in primary care-the GP perspective.

Background: Opportunities exist to develop an advanced nursing role in general practice and there is growing evidence that appropriately trained nurses can reduce cost and GP workload without compromising quality of care or patient satisfaction. Despite the shortfall of doctors entering British general practice and the difficulties doctors report in managing an increasing workload in primary care, few British practices have chosen to adopt this potential solution. An exploration of the barriers to the development of a nurse practitioner role is therefore timely.