ID#: ________
Nurse Practitioners in Canadian Pediatric Emergency
Departments
With growing numbers of patients seeking care in
Emergency Departments and over-crowding continuing to
be an issue, there has been an increased interest in the use
of non-physicians in the ED to provide some care and to
provide other duties often thought to be the prerogative of
the physician. Nurse practitioners have been used in EDs in
the UK and US for many years, but we want to know what
your opinions are as to the role or potential roles of Nurse
Practitioners in the Canadian Paediatric Emergency setting.
We are interested in what roles they play in those
departments that use them. We are also interested in
whether you think they have a place in Paediatric
Emergency Departments and if so, what tasks/procedures
you consider to be appropriate for NPs to take on.
We ask that you complete the enclosed survey and
return it in the pre-stamped, return-addressed envelope at
your earliest convenience. The survey consists of 11
questions and should take no longer than 10 minutes to
complete. As with any research study, your participation in
this study is entirely voluntary.
This study has been approved by the Children’s
Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Ethics Board. All
responses are confidential, and will not be linked to
institutions or individuals. At the conclusion of the research
study, you will be given a summary of the results.
The questions concern you, your experiences and
your attitudes toward the role of Nurse Practitioners in
Canadian pediatric emergency departments. Please answer
each question by placing an “X” in the box beside the
response that best reflects your experience.
1. Are there currently Nurse Practitioners employed in your
Emergency Department?


If ‘No’, SKIP to QUESTION 4
No
Yes
If ‘Yes’, please continue to
QUESTION 2
2. Under the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale, with which
class(es) of patient care are the Nurse Practitioners
(NPs) in your institution involved? (please check all that
apply)






Non-urgent
Semi-urgent
Urgent
Emergent
Resuscitation
Not sure
3. If you have NPs in your department, are they, in your
opinion, used to their potential?


No
Yes
4. Are there barriers to having NPs in your department?





No
Yes → financial (payment plans)
Yes → credentialing issues
Yes → hospital policy
Yes → other reason, please specify:
_____________
ID#: ________
With regards to the following questions, we
realize that you may not have NPs in your
department. Nevertheless, we are interested in
your views about NPs and patient care.
5. In your opinion, which class(es) of patient care are you
comfortable having NPs manage without supervision:
(please check all that apply)






Non-urgent
Semi-urgent
Urgent
Emergent
Resuscitation
None
6. In your opinion, which class(es) of patient care are you
comfortable having NPs manage with supervision:
(please check all that apply)






Non-urgent
Semi-urgent
Urgent
Emergent
Resuscitation
None
7a. Do you believe a NP should be able to perform each of
the following specific investigations?
No
X-ray: Order
X-ray : Interpret
Peak Flows: Order
Peak Flows: Interpret
CT scan: Order
CT scan: Interpret
Bloodwork: Order
Bloodwork: Interpret
EKG: Order
EKG: Interpret
Ultrasound: Order
Ultrasound: Interpret
Yes, only
with
MD review
Yes, no
MD review
required
ID#: ________
7b. Do you believe a NP should be able to perform each of
the following specific procedures?
No
Suturing (simple
lacerations)
Suturing (complex
lacerations)
Tissue adhesive
Suture removal
Foreign body removal:
ear
Foreign body removal:
eye
Foreign body removal:
nose
Foreign body removal:
skin
Splinting
Casting
Fracture reduction
Incision/drainage of
abscesses
Lumbar puncture
Intubation
Yes, only
with
MD review
7c.
Do you believe a NP should be able to perform each
of the following specific treatments?
Yes, no
MD review
required
No
Prescriptions:
Antibiotics
Prescriptions:
Narcotics
Prescriptions:
Bronchodilators
Prescriptions:
Inhaled Steroids
Prescriptions:
Oral Steroids
Telephone FollowUp:
Lab Results
Telephone FollowUp:
missed x-ray
diagnosis
Yes, only
with
MD review
Yes, no MD
review
required
ID#: ________
8. What year did you graduate from medical school?
That’s it! Thank you for taking the time to complete this
questionnaire.
__________
9. Please indicate your highest level of clinical training:




FRCPC (EM)
FRCPC (Pediatrics)
CCFP(EM)
Other → please specify: ___________
10. Do you hold a Pediatric Emergency Medicine
fellowship?


No
Yes
11. How long have you practiced as a staff physician in
EM?



Less than 5 years
5-10 years
More than 10 years
12. Please select the appropriate pay schedule that best
depicts your situation:



FFS (Fee for Service)
APP (Alternate Payment Plan)
Other →
please specify:
_______________________
Please place your completed questionnaire in the
envelope that has been provided and return it to CHEO.
If you have any questions concerning this study or wish to
share anything with us that we may have neglected to ask,
please feel free to do so in the space below and/or on the
next page.
You may also contact the study’s principal investigator, Dr
Carrol Pitters, at Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, at
(613) 737-7600.
Again, thank you very much for your time.
General Comments / Suggestions: