A 12-month evaluation of the impact of Transitional Emergency Nurse Practitioners in one metropolitan Emergency Department

Abstract

Objective To meet increasing work demand, the NSW government funded Transitional Emergency Nurse Practitioner (TENP) roles which would work within a Nurse Practitioner (NP) framework. The role provided opportunity for experienced nurses to, develop advanced practice skills, manage a range of patient conditions and injuries. Therefore, the aims of this study were to: (i) describe patient demographics and conditions managed within the TENP model; (ii) examine the efficiency and safety of TENP management; and (iii) evaluate the impact of the TENP role on the delivery of emergency services. Design A 12-month prospective observational study was conducted to evaluate the implementation of a TENP model. Setting A 550 bed University Referral Hospital St George Hospital providing around 50,000 admissions and 770,000 outpatient treatments annually to a catchment population of 250,000. Subjects Patients presenting with minor injuries and illnesses to one metropolitan emergency department (ED). The majority of patients seen were in triage categories 3, 4 and 5.