Primary nursing: a contemporary model for delivery of care

The evolution of nursing care concepts, from the case method to the primary care nursing concept, is reviewed. Of the traditional nursing concepts--case method, and group and functional assignments--the case method provided the highest degree of personalized and continuous care but was too costly. Group- and functional-assignment nursing, and the newer team-nursing concept, were more efficient but placed increasing amounts of patient care in the hands of nonlicensed health care workers. Primary care nursing has decentralized decision making, made nurses professionally accountable for their own practices, and provided continuity of care.