The role of the nurse practitioner in the pediatric urology clinical pathway

• Published in: Journal of pediatric urology 2007, Vol.3, p.S98-S98
• Main Authors: Kwak, K.J.M., Knoll, J.L., De Gier, R.P.E., Feitz, W.F.J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Pediatrics; Urology
• ISSN: 1477-5131; 1873-4898
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpurol.2007.01.183

PURPOSE Quality, efficiency, safety and transparency of care are important elements in healthcare. Healthcare standards are increasingly influenced by government regulations; healthcare institutes need to respond to requirements of patient organizations, healthcare insurance companies and healthcare authorities. The increase in the complexity of patient's care requires a multidisciplinary approach. Our hospital developed and introduced clinical pathways to regulate and implement all elements of multidisciplinary care. MATERIAL AND METHODS The Pediatric Urology Clinical Pathway (PUCP) describes the essential elements of pediatric urology diagnosis and treatment, from the referral of patients until the end of medical treatment. The Pediatric Urologist is the clinical pathway owner; he is responsible for the patient group. The nurse practitioner is the case manager, who coordinates the total process of planning, consultation and collaboration with the multidisciplinary team. In the PUCP, working methods, guidelines, criteria and responsibilities are described. The system facilitates detection and solution of problems in the workflow, quality indicators are defined. The PUCP is designed as a continuous cyclic process; including systematic measurements to evaluate the efficacy of the process. Wherever possible, the PUCP is evidence-based. RESULTS Description and introduction of the PUCP resulted in a more transparent and efficient care for our pediatric urology patients with shorter hospital admissions and a shorter waiting list. Multidisciplinary collaboration between the different caretakers has improved and has become more efficient. CONCLUSIONS Introduction of the PUCP resulted in improvement of quality of the multidisciplinary urology care for children. The nurse practitioner plays a key-role in the PUCP