Health and Nursing Act
| Basic data | |
|---|---|
| Title: | Health and Nursing Act |
| Long title: | Federal Law on Health and Nursing Professions |
| Abbreviation: | GuKG |
| Type: | Federal law |
| Scope: | Republic of Austria |
| Legal matter: | Vocational training |
| Reference: | BGBl. I No. 108/1997 |
| Effective date: | September 1, 1997 |
| Last change: | BGBl. I No. 105/2019 |
| Legal text: | GuKG as amended in the RIS |
| Please note the note on the applicable legal version ! | |
The Health and Nursing Act (GuKG) is a law of the Republic of Austria that regulates the professional duties and designations of those working in the health and nursing professions. It came into force in 1997 as the 108th federal law and since then supplements the 102nd federal law of March 22, 1961, concerning the regulation of the specialist nursing service, the medical-technical services and the medical assistance services . It was amended in 2016.
From 1997 to 2016, the job title for women in the senior service was qualified health and nurse. In 2016, this job title was changed to qualified health and nurse, the professional field of nursing assistance was renamed to nursing assistant and a new one was introduced, nursing assistant. The occupational title of qualified health and nurse was retained after the amendment to the law, as was the general designation of the superior service for health and nursing .
The amendment was accompanied, among other things, by changes to the training content and locations.
The Health and Nursing Act 1997 to 2016
According to § 13, the areas of responsibility are divided into
- responsible
- co-responsible and
- interdisciplinary activities
Up until the amendment to the law in 2016, training in the higher-level service for health and nursing took place at private or public nursing schools. The training period of three years with at least 4,600 teaching hours, of which at least a third is theoretical and at least half is practical, was retained even after the amendment to the law in 2016.
Up until the amendment, the nursing assistant was responsible for looking after people in need of care and for supporting the senior service for health and nursing and doctors. The training took the form of courses at schools for social care professions or private or public institutions for health and nursing, it lasted one year and comprised 1,600 hours of theory and practice.
The amendment to the GuKG 2016
In health care and nursing, a third was added to the professional groups of senior service and nursing assistance, the nursing assistant (PFA) , as of the 2016 amendment . The nursing assistant (PA) replaces the previous nursing assistant . For the elevated service for healthcare and nursing or diploma health and nursing (DGKP) or Bachelor of Science Nursing (BScN) (formerly diploma health and nurse) further competence areas were created in Austria. A new area of activity of the DGKP is, for example, family and school health care.
The following obligations apply to all three professional groups:
§ 4. General professional duties
- Members of the health and nursing professions have to exercise their profession conscientiously regardless of person. You have to protect the well-being and health of patients, clients and people in need of care in compliance with the applicable regulations and in accordance with the technical and scientific knowledge and experience. Any unauthorized healing treatment is prohibited.
- They have to keep up-to-date on the latest developments and findings in health care and nursing as well as medical and other professionally relevant sciences.
- They must not refuse to offer their expert help in the event of imminent danger of death or serious bodily harm or damage to the health of a person.
In addition, health and nursing professions are obliged to provide care documentation as part of their professional tasks. The documentation includes, in particular, the care history, care diagnosis, care planning and care measures. The duty of confidentiality, notification and information for health and nursing professions are also defined in the GuKG.
Superior service for health and nursing
Training to become a qualified health and nurse in Austria is still possible in schools for health and nursing until 2024. Most of it is already taking place at universities of applied sciences (FH) and universities (UNI) (BScN) and should generally take place at an academic level from 2024. The DGKP / BScN training period is 3 years (4500 teaching hours in theory and practice). Afterwards there is the possibility of further academic training. These enable them to practice their profession in special areas.
Areas of responsibility and competencies
The upscale service for health and nursing care (DGKP, BScN) is responsible for the care of people of all ages, families and population groups in mobile, outpatient, semi-inpatient and inpatient areas. The behavior of nurses and nurses is ethical, legal, intercultural, psychosocial and systemic. Members of the health and nursing professions are subject to general professional duties. This includes the duty of confidentiality, duty of disclosure, duty to report, duty of documentation and the duty to provide information. In addition, since the amendment to the law in 2016, health professions have to carry a professional ID and are obliged to register.
In the amendment to the GuKG of July 14, 2016, the previous areas of activity of DGKP were renamed into areas of competence that also apply to professionals with a BScN degree. They are:
- Nursing core competencies (§14)
- Competence in emergencies (§14a)
- Competencies in medical diagnostics and therapy (§15)
- Further prescription of medical devices (§15a)
- Competencies in the multi-professional care team (§16)
- Specializations (§17)
Nursing core competencies
"[...] § 14. (1) The nursing core competencies of the senior service for health and nursing include the independent assessment of the need for care as well as the assessment of care dependency, the diagnosis, planning, organization, implementation, control and evaluation of all nursing measures (nursing process) in all forms of care and care levels, prevention, health promotion and health advice in the context of care as well as care research [...] ".
In addition to nursing diagnostics, nursing planning and the organization of nursing issues in everyday school life, the amendment introduced two further aspects as areas of competence of DGKP: the areas of health promotion and prevention. This laid the basis for the DGKP professional group to promote health advice in Austria.
The core competencies of the high-level service for health and nursing are:
- Overall responsibility for the care process,
- Planning and implementation of nursing interventions or measures,
- Supporting and promoting activities of daily living,
- Observation and monitoring of the state of health,
- theory- and concept-led conversation and communication,
- Advice on health and nursing care as well as the organization and
- Implementation of training courses,
- Promotion of health literacy, health promotion and prevention,
- Preparation of maintenance reports,
- Delegation, sub-delegation and supervision according to the level of complexity, stability and specialization of the care situation,
- Instruction and supervision of support staff as well as instruction, instruction and accompanying control of persons according to §§ 3a to 3d,
- Guidance, support and assessment of trainees,
- ethical, evidence and research-based action including knowledge management,
- Further development of professional skills,
- Participation in subject-specific research projects and implementation of subject-specific research results,
- Application of complementary care methods,
- Participation in quality and risk management,
- Psychosocial care in health and nursing. "
Specialization / further training
The upscale service for health and nursing can
- setting- and target group-specific specializations as well
- Acquire specializations for teaching or leadership roles.
These academic further education (FH, UNI) are prescribed in the respective, professionally selected special areas. The respective advanced training courses from DGKP or BScN must be completed within 5 years of starting professional activity in the specialist area.
Setting and target group-specific specializations
Members of the high-level service for health and nursing can specialize in the following areas, depending on the setting and target group:
- Child and youth care
- Psychiatric health and nursing care
- Intensive care
- Anesthetic care
- Care in renal replacement therapy
- Care in the operating area
- Hospital hygiene
- Wound management and stoma care
- Palliative care
- Psychogeriatric care
Nursing assistant
education
The nursing assistant training (PFA) takes place in schools for health and nursing. The training period is 2 years (3200 teaching hours in theory and practice). Afterwards there is the possibility for the PFA to take the vocational maturity examination. B. qualified to study Bachelor of Science Nurse at universities of applied sciences (FH) or universities (UNI).
Field of activity
- the independent implementation of the tasks of nursing assistance assigned to them by members of the higher service for health and nursing or doctors
- acting in emergencies
- the independent implementation of further activities assigned to them by doctors as part of their participation in diagnostics and therapy
- the guidance and instruction of trainees in the care assistant professions.
Care assistant
education
The nursing assistance training (PA) takes place in Austria at schools for social care professions or institutions for health and nursing care. The training period is 1 year (1600 hours of theory and practice). There is the possibility of further training to become a nursing assistant.
Field of activity
- Participation in and implementation of the care measures assigned to them by members of the high service for health and nursing
- Action in emergencies
- Participation in diagnostics and therapy
Individual evidence
- ↑ 108th Federal Act: Health and Nursing Act - GuKG as well as amendments to the Nursing Act, the Education Reservation Act and the Doctor Act 1984. Accessed on January 6, 2020 .
- ↑ 102. Federal law of March 22, 1961, regarding the regulation of the specialist nursing service, the medical-technical services and the medical assistance services. Retrieved January 6, 2020 (p. 532ff).
- ↑ Consolidated federal law: Entire legal regulation for medical-technical specialist service and medical aid services, version dated January 6, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2020 .
- ^ Federal Act on Health and Nursing Professions 1997, Sections 1 and 12; accessed on January 13, 2020.
- ^ Federal Law on Health and Nursing Professions 1997, Section 41; accessed on January 14, 2020.
- ↑ Federal Act on Health and Nursing Professions 2016, Section 41; accessed on January 15, 2020.
- ↑ Information system for employee protection, as of December 1, 2011; accessed on January 15, 2020
- ↑ 1194 of Beilagen XXV. GP - Government Bill - Law Text. As of June 15, 2016, parlament.gv.at; accessed on January 15, 2020.
- ↑ a b c d e Federal Law on Health and Nursing Professions (Health and Nursing Act - GuKG); accessed on January 15, 2020.
- ^ A b G. Gassenbauer, A. Gratzer, C. Grigo, A. Hais, D. Russinger, K. Schwaiger: GuKG Novelle 2016. Accessed on January 14, 2020
- ↑ 1194 of Beilagen XXV. GP - Government Bill - Law Text. parliament.gv.at, p. 4; accessed on January 15, 2020
- ↑ Federal Law on Health and Nursing Professions 2016, Section 17; accessed on January 15, 2020.
