An exploration of staff knowledge on the nurse practitioner's role in the emergency department

The role of the Nurse Practitioner (NP) was introduced to the Emergency Department (ED) at a metropolitan hospital in Melbourne, Australia in July 2004.

The aims of the study were to explore staff knowledge of the NP role.

A survey was used to elicit the information from the ED staff. The survey used was a five point Likert scale from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree". Descriptive statistics and non-parametric tests were used for data analysis.

A total of 76 medical and nursing staff completed the survey. The role of the NP was favourably reported by staff with 90% agreeing to statements about the role. Knowledge gaps were found in one third of respondents in relation to the scope of practice and clinical practice guidelines and over 40% (n=31) did not understand the procedural requirements for NP endorsement. What is unclear is whether the lack of staff knowledge affected patient care or implementation of the NP role.

This study demonstrated a good level of staff knowledge with the NPs in the ED. Further staff education is needed regarding some aspects of the NP role.