Family nurses: Italia is taking its first steps, but within the EU it is already well established
In the main European countries, this role is generally filled on a permanent basis by public bodies, local health services, local authorities, regional organisations or accredited organisations
In several European countries, there is a role that is functionally similar to that of the Italian family and community nurse, but it is often already an established part of local health services. The titles vary: district nurse, public health nurse, community nurse, family nurse, enfermeiro de família, enfermera familiar y comunitaria, wijkverpleegkundige.
The main difference compared with Italia is that, in many systems, this is not a role defined on paper, but a position permanently filled by public bodies, local health services, local authorities, regional organisations or accredited bodies.
Spain calls on Italia
The examples most similar to the Italian family and community nurse – but which are already structurally regulated – are found in Spain, where nurses have a recognised specialism known as ‘Enfermería Familiar y Comunitaria’, which is accessed through specialist training and recruitment into regional health services as statutory staff. In Portugal, there is the ‘enfermeiro de família’ in family health units. The district/community/public health nurse is a long-established role within the local health system, employed directly by the public health service. In Sweden, Finland and Denmark, the community nurse is normally employed by regions, counties or municipalities and is not merely a project-based role. In the Netherlands, the ‘wijkverpleegkundige’ is very similar to the concept of the community nurse, but operates within a more mixed model: accredited organisations, home care, insurance providers and even self-employment.
Local presence
The Italian model, therefore, is not an isolated one, but follows in the footsteps of a well-established European tradition: the nurse as a permanent presence in the local community, close to families, chronic conditions, home care and prevention.
The difference is that in many countries this role is already a defined job position, with an employer, a contract, a recruitment process and a career path; in Italia, however, the IFeC is still often a role provided for under Ministerial Decree 77 and regional plans, but this does not always translate into dedicated staffing levels and actual recruitment.
