Developing an advanced nurse practitioner approach to clinical assessments
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence & Practice    

Developing an advanced nurse practitioner approach to clinical assessments

Caroline Prescott Trainee advanced nurse practitioner, emergency department at Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, North Manchester General Hospital
Nick Stackhouse Lead advanced nurse practitioner in the emergency department, Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, North Manchester General Hospital

Emergency departments (EDs) often experience reduced patient flow, which results in low capacity, increased congestion and delays in patient care. Advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs) possess the skills required to relieve these pressures and enhance care delivery. This article describes how introducing ANP-led rapid assessment triage in an ED has enabled these practitioners to use advanced practice skills in assessment and intervention, and to request early diagnostic processes to improve patient flow. The system enables the ANPs to identify high-acuity patients who can be cared for in the ED without the need for admission, while ensuring their safety, rapid assessment and timely interventions.

Emergency Nurse. doi: 10.7748/en.2017.e1614

Correspondence

cazprescott@hotmail.com

Peer review

This article has been subject to double-blind peer review and has been checked for plagiarism using automated software

Received: 23 June 2016

Accepted: 10 October 2016

Published online: 15 January 2017

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more