Capturing the effectiveness of the registered nurse in ambulatory care

Abstract

<p>A quantum shift has occurred in the expectations for the provision of care when moving from the inpatient hospital setting to the outpatient ambulatory care setting. As health care systems merge with physician practice groups and individual physician practices, nurse leaders are challenged to find ways to ensure patient safety across an ever-enlarging geographic territory. In a pilot study, the project coordinator developed a new role of the registered nurse in ambulatory care to provide nursing support and ensure patient safety in several ambulatory practices across a broad geographic area. The new role is titled Registered Nurse (RN) Practice Coordinator (PC). This project examines the development of the new role for the registered nurses in ambulatory care and the impact of that role on patient safety outcomes.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>