Task Shifting by Nurse Practitioner in Neuroendovascular Therapy

Area of Science:

• Neurosurgery
• Vascular Surgery
• Nursing Practice

Background:

• Physician shortages and overwork necessitate innovative healthcare solutions.
• Task shifting and task sharing are emerging strategies for health-care professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of nurse practitioners (NPs) in neurovascular interventions.
• To evaluate the feasibility and validity of task shifting in neurovascular procedures within an institute.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 684 neurovascular intervention cases (2020-2023).
• Analysis of tasks performed by NPs.
• Comparison of procedure times between NP-assisted and physician-only teams.

Main Results:

• NPs performed key tasks including preoperative checks, procedural assistance, postoperative care, initial complication management, and order entry.
• No significant difference in procedure times was observed between NP + physician and physician + physician groups.

Conclusions:

• Nurse practitioners demonstrate significant potential for task shifting in perioperative neurovascular interventions.
• Further refinement of task shifting protocols for emergency cases and NP work arrangements is recommended.