Since December, six regions have allowed nurses to sign death certificates, but in April a decree formalised it across the country, albeit only in cases where the death occurs at home or in a nursing home.
Prior to the decree, nurses could only draw up a certificate if a doctor was unavailable within a "reasonable time". However, nurses will now be able to do this "at any time", the text specifies.
Only nurses who have been specifically trained and with a minimum of three years’ experience will be allowed to exercise this authority, the ministry of health said in a press release. To date, 1,217 nurses have undergone training for this purpose, it added.
The move is part of wider efforts to improve access to healthcare in France as well as reinforce the role of nurses. Some 150,000 deaths take place each year at home and it is hoped the new law “will enable us to better accompany each family in these painful moments," said the ministry.
