More people are now seeing non-physician practitioners, as changes in the US health system take effect.

In the decade between 1987 and 1997, the proportion of patients in the US who visited non-physician practitioners for health care went up from 30 per cent to 36 per cent. The survey, carried out by health policy experts at Emory University, shows that more people than ever are visiting nurses, chiropractors, optometrists and other health professionals.

The shift reflects changes in US health system which gives a wider range of responsibility to non-physician healthcare providers. More and more, people will receive care from a team of health professionals, rather than just the doctor. This multidisciplinary approach can work well, but only if the care plan is well co-ordinated. Otherwise, warn the Emory experts, quality of care may slip. It's vital that the new approach is carried out with a high degree of integration and communication between all the health professionals involved in an individual's care.

Source

New England Journal of Medicine 9th January 2003