Nurse practitioner work patterns: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Aim The aim was to determine how nurse practitioner (NP) roles are translated into clinical practice across Victoria, Australia. This paper reports details about NP work patterns and scopes of practice across multiple clinical settings and geographic locations. Design A quantitative survey design was used. A data abstraction tool, based on previous work, was adapted for this study. Methods All NPs in one state of Australia were eligible to participate in the study and invited to complete an online survey about their NP practice. A previously developed data collection tool, capturing practice patterns of NPs, was adapted for online use in REDCAP. The data were exported, and descriptive statistics were analysed using SPSS. Results Participants were mostly female, with males accounting for 25%. Findings indicate several NPs working in outpatient settings, community settings and forensic care. Patterns of practice—prescribing and ordering diagnostics—are associated with clinical context and model of care of the NP work.

Exploring nurse practitioner practice in Australian rural primary health care settings: A scoping review

“…They conceptualised NPs' role in terms of their scope of practice 8,16,29,30,33–36 . Other sources noted the potential of NPs to improve health care access, health outcomes and consumer satisfaction within rural health services 30 address service gaps 14,32 ; and adapt to changing community needs 14 …”

“…Most sources described NPs in terms of the educational and practice requirements necessary for endorsement by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia 16,18,29–34 . They conceptualised NPs' role in terms of their scope of practice 8,16,29,30,33–36 .…”

“…Most sources described NPs in terms of the educational and practice requirements necessary for endorsement by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. 16,18,[29][30][31][32][33][34] They conceptualised NPs' role in terms of their scope of practice. 8,16,29,30,[33][34][35][36] Other sources noted the potential of NPs to improve health care access, health outcomes and consumer satisfaction within rural health services 30 address service gaps 14,32 ; and adapt to changing community needs.…”

“…16,18,[29][30][31][32][33][34] They conceptualised NPs' role in terms of their scope of practice. 8,16,29,30,[33][34][35][36] Other sources noted the potential of NPs to improve health care access, health outcomes and consumer satisfaction within rural health services 30 address service gaps 14,32 ; and adapt to changing community needs. 14 Several sources reported NPs' descriptions of their role in primary health care that included providing care from a social and holistic perspective; with a focus on wellness, health promotion, prevention of ill health, management of chronic disease and encouraging community participation in health services.…”

“…Whilst there is an absence of research outlining how the role of the NP functions in rural primary health care, articles described the NP role as incorporated into, or forming part of multidisciplinary teams 8,39 ; nongovernment organisations 8,29 ; local health districts (LHD) or health services. 30,36 The review revealed that NPs were working in community mental health and drug and alcohol services 8,31,34 ; at remote Aboriginal Medical Services 37 and Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services 39 ; primary care in rural and remote locations 32,37,38 ; providing nurse-led assessment and treatment centres and community-based clinics 20,21,30,36,41,42 ; providing specialist aged care 35 and psychogeriatric services 8 ; NP locum services 14 ; and palliative care. 33 Some NPs worked across multiple health care settings, for example across hospital, residential aged care, general practice and community health.…”