Nurse Practitioners Improving Emergency Department Quality and Patient Outcomes.

Emergency departments across the United States struggle to balance the overutilization of emergency services. Nurse practitioners (NPs) practicing in emergency departments improve quality indicators leading to the increased efficiency, timeliness, and effectiveness of care. NPs providing emergency services improve multiple national metrics, such as door-to-provider time, patient satisfaction, diagnostic test ordering, and left without being seen rates. NPs should be aware of the positive impact they make on the quality of care. NPs should monitor and trend patient outcomes they directly effect. More research is needed to identify ways NPs can continue to improve the quality of emergency services provided.