Primary nursing

Assistant Editor-In-Chief: Michelle Lew

Overview
Primary nursing is a method of nursing practice which emphasizes continuity of care by having one nurse (often teamed with a nursing assistant) provide complete care for a small group of inpatients within a nursing unit of a hospital. The "primary nurse" is responsible for coordinating all aspects of care for the same group of patients throughout their stay in a given area.

This is distinguished from the practice of team nursing or functional nursing by dividing duties by patient rather than by function (i.e. passing medications, doing treatments, etc.)