The pediatric critical care nurse practitioner: evolution and impact

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Critical Care Nursing
• Advanced Practice Nursing
• Healthcare Quality Improvement

Background:

• The role of advanced practice nurses, specifically pediatric critical care nurse practitioners (PCCNPs), in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) requires further evaluation.
• Assessing parent and staff nurse satisfaction is crucial for understanding the impact of PCCNPs.
• Comparing PCCNP care with resident physician care in key areas like nutritional management and discharge planning offers insights into care delivery models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the role and impact of two PCCNPs within a tertiary care children's hospital PICU.
• To determine parent and staff nurse satisfaction with PCCNP care.
• To compare PCCNP and pediatric resident care in nutritional management and discharge planning.

Main Methods:

• A nonexperimental, descriptive pilot study design was employed.
• Retrospective chart review of 25 PCCNP and 25 pediatric resident patient charts.
• Questionnaire surveys administered to a convenience sample of parents and staff nurses.

Main Results:

• Parents reported adequate care from PCCNPs.
• Staff nurses expressed satisfaction with PCCNP care and supported their role.
• No significant differences were found in nutritional management between PCCNPs and residents.
• PCCNPs initiated discharge planning documentation more frequently and earlier than residents.

Conclusions:

• The findings support the integration of PCCNPs into the PICU setting.
• PCCNP care is comparable to that provided by pediatric resident staff.
• PCCNPs enhance discharge planning processes in pediatric critical care.