Nurse Practitioners create health care team cohesion in patient-centred care
LONDON, ON, April 15, 2014 /CNW/ - Nurse Practitioner, Practice Integration Outcomes Study releases study findings. The aim of this study is to foster a greater understanding of the nurse practitioners' practices in Ontario that contribute to interprofessional collaboration among nurses, doctors, and other providers for the purpose of providing high quality, timely and safe care to hospitalized patients and long term care residents.
"The study elicited some very interesting information on how other health care professionals viewed nurse practitioners," said Kathleen MacMillan, Professor and Director, School of Nursing at Dalhousie University. "In particular I would like to share one quote from a participant who said 'The nurse practitioner is the one consistent person that is on the unit from the start in the morning to basically the end of the day, that is available to answer questions, to provide orders and to service the needs of the patient,' In essence, really, the nurse practitioner is the right person, in the right place, at the right time."
The study revealed a number of important findings. Nurse Practitioners in acute and long term care facilities reported full engagement in interprofessional care, and they said they could increase their activities of interdependence to enhance the provision of health services to patients. The study further found that Nurse Practitioners are consistent, available, peacemakers who bridge professions and focus on patient care. One additional finding was that Nurse Practitioners use three forms of interacting which include: "brief knotworking" to build and share information, "rapid knotworking" to promote collaboration, negotiation and delegation and they are initiators of social interactions that build trust and foster professional relationships.
"They make sure the right team member is seeing the patient for the right reason," said Mary van Soeren, Associate Professor at the School of Nursing, Dalhousie University. "Nurse Practitioners tend to communicate more frequently with friends and families, give them updates, and really focus on making sure they are informed about their care." she went on to say.
Quick Facts
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[li]The Nurse Practitioner Practice, Integration and Outcomes Study is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care [/li]
[li]The Study is designed to explore nurse practitioners' practices within a healthcare professional team setting [/li]
[li]The study also included a nurse practitioner self-assessment survey of 149 nurses, conducting interviews with 52 healthcare professionals, in 10 different health care professions [/li]
[li]The study encompassed professional third party observations of 24 nurse practitioners in regions across Ontario in both hospital and long term care settings [/li]
[li]Access our Nurse Practitioner Association of Ontario (NPAO) web page to learn more [/li]
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SOURCE Nurse Practitioner Study
For further information:
Tina Hurlock-Chorostecki PhD, NP Adult, Assistant Professor, Western University, Nurse Practitioner, London Health Sciences Centre, Office: 519-685-8500 ext. 57246, Cell: 519-619-7451, Tina.HurlockChorostecki@lhsc.on.ca