title: Determining the cost-effectiveness of the Registered Nurse First Assistant: the research link.
abstract: As monetary constraints in health care increase, stakeholders search for avenues to ensure cost-effective care provision. In the perioperative environment one such avenue involves the group of health care providers supporting surgeons and patients during surgery--the surgical assistant. In Canada, general practice physicians predominantly fill this role. Another viable option promoted as a cost-effective alternative to the physician assistant is the Registered Nurse First Assistant (RNFA). The relationship between RNFA cost-effectiveness and role implementation and reimbursement is explored in this article. The importance of formally determining the cost-effectiveness of the RNFA through the utilization and development of research is presented.
authors.affiliation: Royal Jubilee Diagnostic and Treatment Centre, Victoria British Columbia. mbweeks@shaw.ca
authors.forename: Marlene B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Weeks
mesh_terms: D002170:Canada; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D015399:Nursing Research; D009871:Operating Room Nursing / Q000191:economics*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010823:Physician Assistants / Q000191:economics*; D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative / Q000191:economics / Q000451:nursing*