Enhancing orthopedic care: The impact of introducing nurse practitioners

Orthopedic surgery constitutes a significant portion of surgical interventions globally, driven by aging populations (Spence et al., 2019). Nurse practitioners (NPs) have emerged as essential team members in orthopedic surgery, offering expertise and advanced training. This paper describes a practic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of orthopaedic and trauma nursing 2024-08, Vol.54, p.101123, Article 101123
Main Authors: Crowe, Sarah, Spence, Brittany G., Colley, Pamela
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Length of stay
Nurse practitioner
Orthopedic
Quality improvement
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Summary:Orthopedic surgery constitutes a significant portion of surgical interventions globally, driven by aging populations (Spence et al., 2019). Nurse practitioners (NPs) have emerged as essential team members in orthopedic surgery, offering expertise and advanced training. This paper describes a practice development initiative that saw the integration of NPs to the orthopedic team to provide postoperative care to patients undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty procedures. Aggregate data was collected from electronic health records and from online surveys. Using descriptive and inferential statistics our data analysis revealed significant improvements post-NP implementation. Monthly surgeries increased by 41.6%, indicating enhanced access to care. The average length of stay decreased statistically for both hip and knee surgeries (p 
ISSN:1878-1241
DOI:10.1016/j.ijotn.2024.101123