title: The impact of emergency nurse practitioners on referrals to a tertiary hand trauma service: a pilot of referral quality scoring system.
abstract: Hand injuries account for 2000 referrals to the Northern Ireland plastic surgery trauma service each year. Emergency nurse practitioners are increasingly utilised to assess and manage minor injuries and independently refer patients to the hand trauma service. This paper uses a newly developed scoring system to assess the impact of varying grades of referring practitioner on the quality and appropriateness of referral.
authors.affiliation: Regional Plastic and Maxillofacial Unit, Ulster Hospital Upper Newtownards Road, Dundonald, Belfast BT16 1RH. mcgoldrickciara@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ciara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McGoldrick
authors.forename: Lindsay
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Damkat-Thomas
authors.forename: Harry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D016529:Emergency Nursing; D006230:Hand Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing*; D006801:Humans; D009660:Northern Ireland / Q000453:epidemiology; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013518:Surgery, Plastic