ABSTRACT
AIMS: To investigate effectiveness of the nurse clinician as a Non-Medical Surgical Assistant compared with the Medical Surgical Assistant. BACKGROUND: Non-Medical Surgical Assistants are clinicians who are not medical practitioners. The surgical assistant works directly with the primary surgeon intraoperatively. DESIGN: A pragmatic, retrospective, observational study on patients undergoing Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair or Primary Unilateral Total Hip Arthroplasty. Each patient received intraoperative care from a consultant surgeon and a Medical Surgical Assistant or Non-Medical Surgical Assistant. All surgical assistants were registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. METHODS: Data were collected between 01/07/2014 and 30/06/2017. The effect that surgical assistant choice had on patient outcomes was estimated using regression statistical models. Six dependent variables, including length of stay, for clinical outcome assessment were specified. RESULTS/FINDINGS: The groups were equivalent in age, gender, and American Society of Anaesthesiologists scores. There were more emergency procedures in the Medical Surgical Assistant group and more hip surgery in the Non-Medical Surgical Assistant group. Patient outcome assessment showed no statistically significant differences for surgical assistant types. CONCLUSION: The nurse clinician in the role of Non-Medical Surgical Assistant was shown to be effective with equivalent patient outcomes compared with the Medical Surgical Assistant.
Subject(s)
Nurse Clinicians/standards , Patient Outcome Assessment , Personnel, Hospital/standards , Adult , Australia , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
"A nurse practitioner is a registered nurse educated to a post graduate Masters level and authorised to function autonomously and collaboratively in an advanced and extended clinical role' (Queensland Government 2011).
Subject(s)
Nurse Practitioners/trends , Perioperative Nursing , Australia , Cost Savings , Humans , National Health Programs/economics , Nurse's RoleABSTRACT
The term Non-Medical Surgical Assistant (NMSA) encompasses all roles where healthcare clinicians without a medical degree provide clinical services during the perioperative cycle. The role of NMSA is gaining momentum within Australia. It is timely to ascertain who is preforming the role and quantify the practice setting and scope of practice to enable a nationally recognised platform for role evolution. For two months in 2015 a NMSA Practice Audit was available online. Sampling was initially of a convenience modality. A total of 83 clinicians responded. The majority of NMSAs were experienced RNs [>11yrs]; held post-graduate qualifications [80%], practiced predominantly in metropolitan areas [65%] and had been performing the role for 8 years or less. The specialty with the highest uptake of the NMSAs is orthopaedic surgery. This paper provides an overview of NMSAs practicing in Australia and provides cost effective evidence of the need for this service in Australian healthcare.
