title: Piloting an A&E and practice nurse educational exchange.
abstract: The accident and emergency (A&E) department acts as an interface between primary and secondary care. Traditionally, general practice has been viewed negatively by A&E nurses. This article explores some of the issues surrounding these views. The need to challenge the traditional view of A&E as simply a department within a hospital and replace it by one that identifies A&E within the broader community context is identified. This change in ethos requires nurses who work in the A&E department to challenge their beliefs about the specialty. There is a need to look at the educational preparation of A&E nurses. A pilot educational exchange scheme, developed to explore ways of improving the relationship between A&E nurses and nurses working in general practice, is described.
authors.affiliation: A&E Department, King's Healthcare, Denmark Hill, London.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Crouch
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dale
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Haverty
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Winsor
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000193:education*; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000193:education*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011320:Primary Health Care