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A Program of Nurse Management for Unscheduled Consultations of Children With Acute Minor Illnesses in Primary Care
Author(s) -
Fabrellas Núria,
Juvé Eulàlia,
Solà Montserrat,
Aurín Eva,
Berlanga Sofia,
Galimany Jordi,
Berenguer Lidia,
Pujol M. Cèlia,
Lacuesta Sara,
Villo M. Cinta,
Torres Montserrat
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of nursing scholarship
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1547-5069
pISSN - 1527-6546
DOI - 10.1111/jnu.12169
Subject(s) - minor (academic) , medicine , primary care , nurse practitioners , acute care , nursing , observational study , family medicine , medical emergency , health care , pathology , political science , law , economics , economic growth
Attention to patients with acute minor illnesses represents a major burden for primary care. Although programs of nurse care for children with acute minor illnesses in primary care started a long time ago, there is limited information about the results of these programs in current practice. Objectives The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility and efficacy of a program of nurse management for unscheduled consultations of children with acute minor illnesses. Methods Observational study of children seeking unscheduled consultations for 16 acute minor illnesses in 284 primary care practices during a 2‐year period. The program of nurse management used predefined management algorithms. Findings Among 467,160 consultations performed, case resolution was achieved in 65.4%. The remaining 34.6% of cases were not solved by the primary healthcare nurse due to the existence of signs of alarm and were referred to a pediatrician. Return to consultation during a 7‐day period for the same reason as the original consultation was only 2.6%. Conclusions A program that uses management algorithms is effective for nurse care management of children with acute minor illnesses in primary care. Clinical Relevance Application of programs of nurse management for unscheduled consultations for children with acute minor illnesses is feasible and effective.