Nurse practitioners and physician assistants: do they have a role in your practice?

Area of Science:

• Pediatric healthcare
• Healthcare workforce analysis
• Health services research

Background:

• Pediatricians face increasing demands for quality care with limited funding.
• Projected pediatric workforce shortages are expected to worsen.
• Pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) and physician assistants are being trained for expanded roles.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the role and effectiveness of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (PNPs) in addressing pediatric healthcare challenges.
• To assess the quality and cost-effectiveness of collaborative care models involving pediatricians and PNPs.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing evidence on PNP healthcare service delivery.
• Analysis of collaborative care models integrating pediatricians and PNPs.
• Assessment of care quality and cost-effectiveness for diverse pediatric populations.

Main Results:

• Substantial evidence indicates that PNPs deliver high-quality healthcare services.
• Collaborative teams of pediatricians and PNPs can provide high-quality, cost-effective care.
• These teams can serve a broader spectrum of children compared to individual practitioners.

Conclusions:

• PNPs are crucial in augmenting pediatric healthcare services and mitigating workforce shortages.
• Collaborative pediatric care models enhance the capacity to serve more children effectively.
• Integrating PNPs into healthcare teams optimizes resource utilization and patient outcomes.