Prof. dr. Patrick Jeurissen, prof. dr. Ronald Batenburg, dr. Anneke van Vught

The healthcare system is confronted with new challenges: increasing healthcare costs, increasing demand for healthcare, shortages in healthcare professionals and higher expectations from politicians and society with regard to the accessibility and quality of healthcare.

The new professions physician assistant (PA) and nurse practitioner (NP) can take over tasks from medical specialists and provide complementary care. In the Netherlands, several policy measures have been implemented to stimulate task reallocation and deployment of these professions. However, NP/PA deployment differs between healthcare sectors, regions and specialisms.

The aim of our research is to gain insight into the influence of policy, labor market and decision-making processes within care organizations on NP/PA deployment. The results provide tools for governments, professional and sectoral associations, health insurers and other healthcare stakeholders to effectively manage the labor market and skill mix. This can contribute to the accessibility, affordability and quality of care.