Evaluation of a nurse practitioner role within a specialist palliative care service in Australia

Abstract

In Australia, despite the growing need for palliative care, there is a shortage of palliative care professionals. The literature suggests that nurse practitioners (NPs) are well positioned to innovate the current model of palliative medicine. This prospective study evaluates the implementation of a new NP role within an established multidisciplinary palliative care service. In this study, patients under the care of the NP had fewer admissions to an acute hospital compared to the rest of the service (17.0% vs. 27.2%), as well as no acute admissions for terminal care and a greater number of patients who achieved their preferred place of death (87.2% vs. 72.2%). A survey of the multidisciplinary team revealed that the majority of responders (93.3%) felt that the NP role had a positive impact on patient care and was holistic, safe, and met patients’ needs. Neutral or negative survey responses highlighted the need for further education or refinement of the role in areas such as prescribing and ability to refer patients directly to medical specialists. Overall, study results were positive and support the introduction of the NP role into a specialist palliative care service but more research is required to assess the effectiveness of the role.