Evaluating the role of the hospitalist nurse practitioner in facilitating early discharge of observation patients

Purpose of the Project: Nurse Practitioners (NP) as a hospitalist is a growing trend in the healthcare industry. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the role of the hospitalist NP and its effectiveness in facilitating the early discharge of patients placed under observation status in the telemetry unit. Methodology: A retrospective chart review of forty random samples was done. An evaluation of the hospitalist NP discharge time of the observation patient in the telemetry unit and its association with the length of stay was conducted three months before and three months after implementing the hospitalist NP role. The theoretical framework used to guide this project was the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), Knowledge Transfer Results: The mean length of stay (LOS) of patients admitted by the hospitalist physician was 1.50 days (SD=0.69) while the hospitalist NP was 1.95 days (SD=0.95). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups (t (38) =1.72; p=.09). Implications for Practice: Discharge bottleneck causes tremendous tension on organizational operations. Inefficient discharge planning is directly associated with increased LOS and patient and family dissatisfaction. The patients managed by the hospitalist NP can achieve a reduction in the LOS by effective and timely communication with the interdisciplinary team. The hospitalist NP care model can impact the quality of patient care and organization throughput.DNPIncludes bibliographical reference