An exploration of the perceptions of Emergency Physicians and Trainees, towards Emergency Nurse Practitioners in Australia

SummaryObjectiveTo explore Emergency Physicians perceptions towards the Emergency Nurse Practitioner role, specifically, examining their support, its perceived benefits, difficulties, impact in the clinical environment and proposed scope of practice.MethodsA survey was distributed to all members of the Australasian College of Emergency Medicine via Survey Monkey between August and November 2009. Statistical analysis of the data was performed using the SPSS package.ResultsA total of 50.8% (n = 315) responded positively to supporting the Emergency Nurse Practitioner role whilst 20% (n = 124) responded negatively. When comparing those who have worked with Emergency Nurse Practitioners vs those who have not, 59.8% (n = 307) of those who have worked with Emergency Nurse Practitioners were positively identified as supporting the role, compared to 7.5% (n = 8) of those who had not. In those who had not worked with Emergency Nurse Practitioners 53.3% (n = 57) neither agreed nor disagreed in supporting the role. With respect to the benefits and the proposed scope of practice, a response trend of greater significance was found in those who had previously worked with Emergency Nurse Practitioners.ConclusionEmergency healthcare is evolving in line with increasing demands. Worldwide, the Emergency Nurse Practitioner role has been researched and critiqued at length. This paper provides evidence of Emergency Physicians positive perceptions and recognition of benefits of the Emergency Nurse Practitioner role within Australia. This was especially apparent amongst clinicians that have previously worked alongside them. Despite this, concerns were expressed with regard on-going medical training, medico-legal implications and training of Emergency Nurse Practitioners.