Super nurses to ease pressure in emergency departments

6/09/06
New highly trained nurses will take on extra duties in hospital emergency departments to help reduce patient waiting times and doctor workloads.
Health Minister Jim McGinty said the employment of Emergency Service Nurse Practitioners throughout Western Australia's hospital emergency departments was the latest initiative to provide better and faster care for patients.
"Nurse practitioners have undergone additional training and are qualified to treat patients who would ordinarily have been seen by a doctor," Mr McGinty said.
"A nurse practitioner is authorised to order x-rays and pathology tests, prescribe certain medications, refer patients to medical specialists, and perform minor procedures.
"It means there is extra medical care on hand for patients with minor or non-urgent conditions.
"Doctors will now be able to focus more on the increasing numbers of emergency and serious cases presenting to our hospital EDs."
In emergency departments, nurse practitioners would work closely with doctors to treat patients with:

• soft tissue injuries and sprains;
• simple fractures;
• puncture wounds and lacerations;
• minor burns; and
• respiratory conditions such as asthma and bronchitis.

Mr McGinty said that two emergency service nurse practitioners had already been employed at Joondalup Health Campus with a further two due to start at Royal Perth Hospital later this month.
Other metropolitan and country hospitals would engage nurse practitioners in emergency departments over the coming year.
Health Department Director General Neale Fong said international research showed that the employment of nurse practitioners in emergency departments improved patient flows, increased patient satisfaction, and improved staff retention.
"The clinical outcomes expected include a decrease in waiting times and length of stay in EDs, and a decrease in the number of patients who leave an ED before being treated," Dr Fong said.
"In the last 12 months there has been a 25 per cent increase in emergency cases presenting at Joondalup Hospital with a 15 per cent increase in more serious cases.
"The availability of nurse practitioners will undoubtedly increase the capacity of emergency departments throughout WA to handle this increase in demand."
Registered nurse practitioners are required to complete an approved postgraduate qualification of at least 12-months.
Curtin University and Edith Cowan University both offer Masters degrees in Nurse Practitioner studies.
Once qualified, nurse practitioners are required to be registered with the Nurses Board of Western Australia.
Since 2003, the State Government has provided $800,000 in sponsorships for registered nurses to undertake the postgraduate studies leading to registration as a nurse practitioner.
Dr Fong said that nurse practitioners were also employed in other areas of care in public hospitals including:

• haematology Oncology;
• liver Services; and
• paediatric Oncology and Aged Care.

"We are also planning to expand the use of nurse practitioners to wound management, continence management, diabetic care and acute care," Dr Fong said.
Minister's office - 9422 3000