Nurse practitioner reduces unnecessary emergency department visits

Issue: February 2012

The addition of a nurse practitioner to a busy hospital staff may decrease unnecessary emergency department visits, according to a study published in Surgery.

According to the study, researchers found a nurse practitioner reduced emergency department visits by improving continuity in care and troubleshooting problems for patients.

“This study demonstrates the important role that nurse practitioners have in our increasingly complex health care system,” senior author Margo Shoup, MD, FACS, stated in a Loyola University Health System news release. “With resident work restrictions and changes in reimbursement, the addition of a nurse practitioner to a busy practice can fill a void and maintain communication and care after a patient is released from the hospital.”

According to the study abstract, a nurse practitioner joined a team of three attending surgeons in 2007, coordinating discharge plans and communicating with patients after discharge. Patient records were reviewed 1 year before (415 records) and 1 year after (411 records) the nurse practitioner joined the team. Discharge courses were reviewed, with unnecessary emergency room visits being defined in the study as visits that did not result in an inpatient admission.

According to the release, telephone conversations with patients increased by 64% following the addition of the nurse practitioner. Visiting nurse, physical therapy or occupational therapy services also increased from 25% prior to the nurse practitioner’s addition to 39% afterward. These services resulted in fewer unnecessary emergency department visits (25% vs. 13%) following the nurse practitioner’s involvement.

Reference:

Robles L, Slogoff M, Ladwig-Scott E, et al. The addition of a nurse practitioner to an inpatient surgical team results in improved use of resources. J Surg. 2011; 150(4):711-717.

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