title: Implementation and evaluation of an ophthalmic nurse practitioner emergency eye clinic.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To describe the implementation and assess the efficacy of an ophthalmic nurse practitioner (ONP) emergency eye clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a 13-month period, patients were assessed in an ONP emergency eye clinic in a teaching hospital setting. The ONP clinic was run on a defined scope of practice. Risk assessment was carried out in two audit sessions, 4 weeks duration each, at months 1 and 7. Patient outcomes were monitored for reattendance to the department following discharge.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 259 patients were assessed, 143 (55.2%) were within the scope of practice. In the two audit periods, concordance with the ophthalmologist was high, diagnosis 100% and management 95.2%. Many patients assessed (111, 42.9% of total) had minor external eye conditions--chiefly corneal foreign body or abrasion (n = 50), conjunctivitis (n = 14) and minor (non-alkali) chemical injuries (n = 11). No reattendance was noted in these patients when monitored for a mean of 12 months (range 7-19 months).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates the safety and effectiveness of an ONP emergency eye clinic when practising within a defined scope of practice. An ONP-led emergency eye clinic is a viable addition to acute ophthalmic eye care in Australia.
authors.affiliation: NH&MRC Centre for Clinical Research Excellence in Ophthalmology Outcomes Research, Department of Ophthalmology, Flinders Medical Centre, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia. bradkirkwood@bigpond.com
authors.forename: Bradley J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kirkwood
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pesudovs
authors.forename: Raymond S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Loh
authors.forename: Douglas J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Coster
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016529:Emergency Nursing / Q000592:standards*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000592:standards*; D005128:Eye Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006284:Health Plan Implementation / Q000592:standards*; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000592:standards*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009885:Ophthalmology / Q000592:standards*; D010359:Patient Readmission; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013021:South Australia; D000078329:Workforce