Fact 3 Quality of Care
• A review by Brown and Grimes™ of more than 900 articles and documents over 30
years of practice and based on studies that had been randomized, reported that NPs
and physicians were equivalent on outcome measures such as overall quality of care,
prescription of drugs, functional status, number of visits, and use of the emergency
room.
0 Patients followed by NPs were more likely to be compliant with taking medications,
keeping appointments and following recommended behavioral changes than patients
followed by physicians;
o NPs ordered slightly more lab tests than did physicians;
o Patient satisfaction was higher for >fPs than physicians;
o NPs scored higher on resolution of pathological conditions such as diastolic BP, blood
sugar control, and otitis media,
o NPs spent more time with patients, addressed health promotion more frequently, and
made more referrals than physicians. Their patients abo had fewer hospitalizations.
• A systematic review™ of eleven randomized controlled trials and 23 observational
studies compared NPs and physicians providing care at first point of contact for
patients with undifferentiated health problems in primary care
o No differences in health status were found, but NPs had longer and more frequent
patient visits than did physicians.
o No differences were foimd in prescriptions, return visits, or referrals,
o Quahty of care was in some instances better for NP visits.
• A meta-analysis™ of 16 studies found no appreciable differences between physicians
and nurses in health outcomes for patients, process of care, resource utilization, or
cost. Patient health outcomes were similar for nurses and physicians, but patient satisfaction
was higher with nurse-led care. Nurses tended to provide longer visits, give
more information to patients, and recall patients more frequently than did physicians.
• In a study*"' using HEDIS (Health Employer Data Information System) national
benchmarks, Barkauskas and colleagues found that NPs in six nurse-managed health
centers met and often exceeded national benchmarks for treatment of chronic diseases
such as hypertension, diabetes, and asthma.
• Three studies (one RCT) reviewed patient complications. Studies were conducted
with samples of patients discharged with a diagnosis of stroke and transient ischémie
attack, a surgical intensive care unit, postoperative cardiac surgery, and a pregnancy
Wellness program. When comparing APN and non-APN groups, there is a moderate
level of evidence to support that the APNs decreases complication rates. ™