Nurse Practitioners' Comfort in Treating Work-Related Injuries in Adolescents.
This study examined nurse practitioners' (NPs) previous experiences and comfort levels in treating adolescents with work-related injuries in two states where NPs have statutory authority to treat work-related injuries. The authors surveyed all actively licensed NPs in Washington and Oregon (N = 4,849). Factors associated with NPs' previous experiences and comfort in treating adolescents with work-related injuries were identified using modified Poisson regression. Less than a quarter of respondents (21.1%, n = 225) reported having ever treated an adolescent for a work-related injury. Nearly half (43.6%) of respondents reported being uncomfortable or very uncomfortable in treating adolescents with work-related injuries. Previous experience and male gender were associated with greater likelihood of feeling comfortable (p < .01). Nurse practitioners serve as primary care providers for adolescents who may experience work-related injuries. This study documents the need for developing educational and outreach efforts to better prepare NPs to treat adolescents' work-related injuries.
College of Nursing, Washington State University Spokane janessa.graves@wsu.edu.
Janessa M
JM
Graves
Washington State University Vancouver.
Tracy A
TA
Klein
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000523:psychology*; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy*; D009922:Oregon; D016012:Poisson Distribution; D057184:Practice Patterns, Nurses'; D014861:Washington; D014942:Workers' Compensation; D017132:Workplace; D055815:Young Adult
adolescents; advance practice nurses; nurse practitioners; occupational health and safety team; occupational injuries; provider education; treatment; workers’ compensation; workforce