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. 2016 May 8;5(2):191-7.
doi: 10.5409/wjcp.v5.i2.191.

Nurse practitioner coverage is associated with a decrease in length of stay in a pediatric chronic ventilator dependent unit

Courtney M Rowan  1 , A Ioana Cristea  1 , Jennifer C Hamilton  1 , Nicole M Taylor  1 , Mara E Nitu  1 , Veda L Ackerman  1
Affiliations

Nurse practitioner coverage is associated with a decrease in length of stay in a pediatric chronic ventilator dependent unit

Courtney M Rowan et al. World J Clin Pediatr. .

Abstract

Aim: To hypothesize a dedicated critical care nurse practitioner (NP) is associated with a decreased length of stay (LOS) from a pediatric chronic ventilator dependent unit (PCVDU).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients requiring care in the PCVDU from May 2001 through May 2011 comparing the 5 years prior to the 5 years post implementation of the critical care NP in 2005. LOS and room charges were obtained.

Results: The average LOS decreased from a median of 55 d [interquartile range (IQR): 9.8-108.3] to a median of 12 (IQR: 4.0-41.0) with the implementation of a dedicated critical care NP (P < 1.0001). Post implementation of a dedicated NP, a savings of 25738049 in room charges was noted over 5 years.

Conclusion: Our data demonstrates a critical care NP coverage model in a PCVDU is associated with a significantly reduced LOS demonstrating that the NP is an efficient and likely cost-effective addition to a medically comprehensive service.

Keywords: Cost effective health care; Length of stay; Nurse practitioners; Pediatrics; Ventilation.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Median length of stay. In the figure above, the length of stay in days is plotted out over the course of the study from 2001 to 2010. The addition of partial NP coverage began in 2005 when the length of stay was highest. Daily NP coverage began in 2008. NP: Nurse practitioner.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Percentage of bed charges during the length of the study. Over the course of our study, the average room charge per patient stay decreased as the dedicated NP was introduced into the PCVDU. The addition of the NP did not add specific charges as their services were bundled into the hospital and physician charges. NP: Nurse practitioner; PCVDU: Pediatric chronic ventilator dependent unit.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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