Premium
Implementation and evaluation of an ophthalmic nurse practitioner emergency eye clinic
Author(s) -
Kirkwood Bradley J,
Pesudovs Konrad,
Loh Raymond S,
Coster Douglas J
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
clinical and experimental ophthalmology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.3
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1442-9071
pISSN - 1442-6404
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-9071.2005.01101.x
Subject(s) - medicine , corneal abrasion , audit , emergency department , eye care , scope of practice , concordance , accident and emergency , emergency medicine , medical emergency , ophthalmology , optometry , nursing , cornea , health care , management , economics , economic growth
A bstract Background: To describe the implementation and assess the efficacy of an ophthalmic nurse practitioner (ONP) emergency eye clinic. Methods: In a 13‐month period, patients were assessed in an ONP emergency eye clinic in a teaching hospital setting. The ONP clinic was run on a defined scope of practice. Risk assessment was carried out in two audit sessions, 4 weeks duration each, at months 1 and 7. Patient outcomes were monitored for reattendance to the department following discharge. Results: A total of 259 patients were assessed, 143 (55.2%) were within the scope of practice. In the two audit periods, concordance with the ophthalmologist was high, diagnosis 100% and management 95.2%. Many patients assessed (111, 42.9% of total) had minor external eye conditions – chiefly corneal foreign body or abrasion ( n = 50), conjunctivitis ( n = 14) and minor (non‐alkali) chemical injuries ( n = 11). No reattendance was noted in these patients when monitored for a mean of 12 months (range 7–19 months). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the safety and effectiveness of an ONP emergency eye clinic when practising within a defined scope of practice. An ONP‐led emergency eye clinic is a viable addition to acute ophthalmic eye care in Australia.