Doctors and nursing staff
Nursing and hospital doctors
Health sector reform and legislation leading to fewer, but larger hospitals, have revolutionized this professional sector. This has led to specific rules for all categories of caregivers, and a separate status for hospital doctors, who must be able to be involved in hospital policy and the role of the medical council.
St. John's Hospital Bruges
The aging population, resulting in an increase in chronic diseases, has also led to the increasing importance of the health care professions.
Nursing staff:
1. Recognition is required. Practicing nursing without the necessary recognition is punishable, but using a professional title of nurse or graduated nurse without being a nurse is also punishable.
2. Additional training leads to the title "nurse specialized in ..." (per specialization, eg in wound care) or "nurse with special expertise in ..."
3. The activities that a nurse can do alone, only after instructions from the doctor or that the doctor can delegate, can be found in Article 21 quinquies of the practice of health care (A and B autonomously, C after delegation).
4. They keep a nursing file, either within the hospital or at home nursing.
5. In view of the increase in the workload, the profession of health care professional was introduced by law in 2001. Only a limited number of nursing activities are allowed by a health care professional, but a nurse can delegate nursing activities (and can revoke this delegation at any time).
The doctor and hospital doctor:
6. Each physician is free to determine the diagnosis and therapy.
7. The independent doctor organizes his own practice. The hospital doctor may have an agreement with a hospital with practical rules for the organization and the remittance of fees.
8. In order to best shape this cooperation, the medical council was created. The medical council will give advice for appointment of the hospital doctor, appointment of the chief doctor or in case of resignation.
9. The hospital can be held liable for inadequate organization, the doctor for misdiagnosis, treatment or aftercare. It is an obligation of means.
10. Hospital and doctor can be held responsible for mistakes made by nursing staff.
11 Physicians often have to work among themselves in the midst of fierce competition, which can create tensions and a sense of great dependence in regard to the hospital. The law on hospitals does provide a certain protection for doctors in case of reorganizations or deposition, in which the medical council does play a major role. Knowledge of this legislation and court decisions in similar matters have a clearly undeniable importance.