Evaluation of the Integration of Nurse Practitioners into the BC Healthcare System

The nurse practitioner (NP) role is new to BC and its impact has yet to be evaluated. The proposed multi-year study will evaluate a practice innovation – the integration of NPs into the BC healthcare system, and will establish a framework for sustainable ongoing evaluation of the impact of NP practice on those they serve and the health care system. The study process will be divided into three parts addressing the following broad questions:

  1. What changes result for patients, and what are the implications for the health care system when NPs become part of the care process?
  2. What is the impact of adding a NP to the functioning of collaborative health care teams?
  3. What are the practice settings and scope of practice of NPs working in BC?

The final work of the project team will be to use the study findings to develop an ongoing evaluation method for future data collection and evaluation of NPs’ practice and impact.