title: Nurse practitioner autonomy in a clinical setting.
abstract: The ENPs who participated in this study were providing services to a group of patients similar in age and gender to those using emergency services at a national level. The ENPs were employed in a variety of settings and provided health care to patients with non-urgent through emergent conditions. They ordered less diagnostic tests for patients than providers in a national study, performed various invasive and therapeutic procedures as well as diagnostic procedures, and referred all patients except those transferred to the morgue or who left against medical advice for follow-up care. The ENPs had a slightly higher percentage (94 per cent vs. 84.4 per cent) of patients discharged home than providers in a national study.
authors.affiliation: Division Head of Emergency Care, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, USA.
authors.forename: F L
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ramirez
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007587:Job Description; D008875:Middle Aged; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D013781:Texas