Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal
Volume 14, Issue 4 , Pages 226-231, November 2011

A review of the Transitional Emergency Nurse Practitioner

  • Matthew Lutze, NP BN MN (NP) MN (Critical Care)

      Affiliations

    • Emergency Nurse Practitioner, Canterbury Hospital, Emergency Department, Australia
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +61 297870960; mobile: +61 401093473; fax: +61 297870311.
    • ,
  • Andrew Ratchford, MBBS FRCS FCEM FACEM

      Affiliations

    • Emergency Department, Mona Vale Hospital, Emergency Department, Australia
    • ,
  • Margaret Fry, NP BSc M.ED PhD

      Affiliations

    • Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery and Health, University of Technology, Sydney 2007, Australia

Received 13 April 2011; received in revised form 28 May 2011; accepted 23 June 2011. published online 17 October 2011.

Summary 

Introduction

A retrospective exploratory study was conducted to (i) explore the practice patterns of a Transitional Emergency Nurse Practitioner (TENP) working across two urban Emergency Departments (ED); (ii) identify the demographic characteristics of the TENP patient cohort; and (iii) identify if TENP patients were appropriately and timely managed.

Method

The study was conducted across two hospital sites over two consecutive years for a 3-month period. Data collection occurred during the months of December through to February. TENP patients were identified by hospital electronic medical record and were then grouped into a model that included ‘Fast Track’ or ‘See and Treat’ cohort. The cohorts were then analysed for diagnostic groups, age, sex, length of stay, triage category, and re-presentations.

Results

The TENP worked a total of 600h (Site 1 252h; Site 2 348h) across the study period. The TENP managed a total of 481 patients (262 Site 1; 220 Site 2) during the study period. The majority of patients (412; 84%) were managed in the ‘See and Treat’ cohort (Site 1 246, 94%; Site 2 166, 75%) and 70 patients (16%) were managed in the ‘Fast Track’ cohort (Site 1 16, 4%; Site 2 54, 25%). The median length of stay for TENP managed patients was 143min, with 96% of patients leaving the ED in less than 8h. There were no TENP unplanned re-presentations at either site. The TENP managed more male patients across both sites. The majority (75%) of patients the TENP managed had musculoskeletal and/or wound conditions or injuries.

Conclusion

TENP practice across the two Sydney metropolitan ED sites was similar. The model adapted for Tertiary Referral centres was appropriate for smaller urban EDs. The study supports existing evidence of timely and appropriate care being delivered by TENPs across Australian EDs. Given the work practice similarities, the study demonstrates that State and/or National standards and policies could be developed for emergency advanced practice roles.

Keywords: Nurse Practitioner, Exploratory study, Emergency care, Advanced Nursing Practice

To access this article, please choose from the options below

Login to an existing account or Register a new account.

  • Purchase this article for 31.50 USD (You must login/register to purchase this article)

    Online access for 24 hours. The PDF version can be downloaded as your permanent record.

  • Subscribe to this title

    Get unlimited online access to this article and all other articles in this title 24/7 for one year.

  • Claim access now

    For current subscribers with Society Membership or Account Number.

  • Visit SciVerse ScienceDirect to see if you have access via your institution.
 

PII: S1574-6267(11)00088-7

doi:10.1016/j.aenj.2011.06.003

Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal
Volume 14, Issue 4 , Pages 226-231, November 2011

Article Tools