Table 2 Description role and tasks district nurse and practice nurse

District nurse

Dutch district nurses are registered nurses with a bachelor’s degree and provide nursing care to the individual patient at home [28]. District nurses are involved in illness prevention, recovery care after an illness or after hospitalization, care for the chronically ill and terminal/palliative care. This also includes care planning and evaluation, caseload management, symptom control and advice, promoting self-management, reassessment of needs, handovers, and administration [6, 29,30,31]. District nursing is part of home care [32]. Home care also includes care, guidance and domestic help. Home care is provided by home care organizations, some of them also provide long-term care [31]. District nurses are employed by a home care organization and have an important role in care coordination and collaboration with other professionals [31]. They carry out the highly complex care themselves, maintain contacts with other care providers as ultimately responsible and coach other nursing staff on their teams, i.e., certified nursing assistants and aids [33].

Practice nurse

Dutch practice nurses are registered nurses with a bachelor’s degree and are employee within a general practice [31, 32]. Practice nurses carry out tasks delegated by the general practitioner such as, taking an anamnesis, physical examination, providing information as well as instruction and education, care planning and evaluation, supporting the general practitioner with oncological -,palliative care as well as care for the chronically ill and older people, drawing up protocols and motivating patients with lifestyle changes [31, 32]. This kind of care by practice nurses will continue to fall under the general practice care and under the supervision of a general practitioner. Practice nurses provide care after the diagnoses has been made by the general practitioner and are involved in the protocolled medical care. The practice nurse holds consultation hours in the general practice and visits the patient to a limited extent at home [31].