The delivery of a minor injuries telemedicine service by Emergency Nurse Practitioners
SummaryWe conducted a retrospective review to assess the potential for Emergency Nurse Practitioners (ENPs) to deliver telemedicine advice for minor injuries. Over a one-year study period, 835 patients from 15 minor injury units in community hospitals presented to the minor injuries telemedicine service and were seen via videoconferencing by a doctor at the Aberdeen emergency department. A case review showed that overall, ENPs were considered capable of treating 470 of 788 new presentations (60%). If children under 14 years of age and shoulder injuries were excluded, this figure rose to 84%. Assessment of all minor injuries via a telemedicine network by medical staff is unnecessary. An ENP-led service offers a realistic and attractive alternative.
Contemporary Pediatrics recently spoke with Mary Koslap-Petraco, DNP, PNP-BC, CPNP, FAANP, a nationally known expert in immunization practice, about why measles infection rates have skyrocketed in her home state of New York, what’s in store for the rest of the United States during the current measles outbreak, and how physicians can engage with parents to boost immunization rates.