title: Nurse practitioners in Canadian heart failure clinics: evidence to support their presence on healthcare teams.
abstract: There is presently an initiative in Canada to promote the role and implementation of nurse practitioners. Nurse practitioners have the ability to help close major gaps in our present healthcare system and thus improve healthcare services for Canadians. Answering the needs of our chronically ill population may be one of those gaps. Currently, only a small percentage of Canadian patients living with heart failure and their families are receiving the services that have proven effective in randomized trials. The addition of nurse practitioners in heart failure management outpatient clinics would improve the link between clinical research and practice, ensuring that the services patients receive are based on the evidence that is currently available.
authors.affiliation: Restigouche Health Authority, Campbellton, NB. therese.thompson@rsrha.ca
authors.forename: Thérèse L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dykeman
mesh_terms: D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002170:Canada; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000451:nursing; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration; D006293:Health Promotion; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D008487:Medical History Taking; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009730:Nursing Assessment; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000451:nursing; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D012107:Research Design