Evaluating a paediatric emergency nurse practitioner service in South Australia: A retrospective analysis of 12 months of patient presentations.

Abstract

Quality of patient care in emergency departments is a key indicator of healthcare performance. While the role of Nurse Practitioners (NPs) in adult emergency care is well established, limited research exists on Paediatric Emergency Nurse Practitioners, particularly in the Australian context. This study retrospectively evaluated patient demographics and emergency department service indicators-including waiting time and overall length of stay-for patients in the Paediatric Emergency Department of a tertiary hospital in South Australia. A descriptive exploratory design included all patients managed by Paediatric Nurse Practitioners for a complete episode of care between December 1, 2022, and December 1, 2023. 4849 patients were included, with more males (58.7 %, n = 2845) than females (41.3 %, n = 2004), and a median age of 9 years (IQR 5-13). Median waiting time was 36 min (IQR 18-68), and median length of stay was 129 min (IQR 92-178). Most patients (94.1 %, n = 4561) were discharged home. Common presentations included head wounds (16.1 %, n = 781), distal radius fractures (7.9 %, n = 386), and hand injuries (7.3 %, n = 355). This first evaluation offers insight into patient characteristics and service benchmarks, demonstrating need for further research to support comparisons with other Paediatric Emergency Department services.