Physicians and NPs in Nursing Homes

A comparison of two models of nursing home care.

In a retrospective chart-review study looking at data from 203 residents in eight nursing homes in Texas, researchers compared two models of care for nursing home residents: nurse practitioner (NP) and physician team care versus physician-only care. All of the facilities already had both models of care in place. The researchers found that the NP and physician teams made significantly more acute care visits than the physician-only group and that within the teams, the NP made most of those visits (more than twice as many visits as physicians). Additionally, team care resulted in significantly more eye, ear, nose, throat, and dermatologic treatments during acute care visits.

The authors concluded that NP-and-physician teams can provide additional access to care without additional cost; they may even reduce costs because team care saves the physicians time. NPs act as additional providers and as resources for consultation and education. Patient care is improved when nursing home staffs have access to NPs.-Malvina Kluger

Source: Aigner MJ, et al. J Am Med Dir Assoc 2004;5(1):16-23.