In response to the challenges posed by difficulties in accessing general practitioners and the increase in chronic pathologies due to the ageing of the population, the French legislature introduced the concept of “advanced practice” for paramedical professions, following a consultation process that began in the early 2000s. The aim is not so much to raise the technical level of the procedures performed by these professionals as it is to extend the cross-disciplinary skills and responsibilities of the paramedical professions beyond the current legal and regulatory framework: performing certain procedures without a prior medical prescription, prescribing biological tests, renewing or adjusting drug prescriptions, etc. This accounts for the tensions surrounding its implementation. The option of “advanced practice” was opened up to all medical professions by Law 2016-41 of 26 January 2016 on the modernisation of the French healthcare system. However, the regulations currently restrict it to nurses alone.
