Date of Award

Spring 5-1-2022

Document Type

Project

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

Advisor

Dr. Joy Shoemaker

First Committee Member

Dr. Amy Hotler

Keywords

Workers Compensation, Medco-14, Scope of Practice, Nurse Practitioner, Access to Care, Practice Authority

Subject Categories

Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract

Autonomous nurse practitioners are an effective and useful member of the healthcare team, particularly when given a less restrictive scope of practice at the state level. The autonomous nurse practitioner can help improve patient outcomes/needs as a decision-making health care team member.

Ohio nurse practitioners treating worker’s compensation patients are limited in treating the injured worker not because of the nurse practitioner scope of practice, but because of the bureaucratic paperwork worker’s compensation requires of its patients/providers. The purpose of the project was to conduct a needs analysis regarding a legislative change proposal for the practice authority of nurse practitioners treating the Ohio worker’s compensation patient.

This quantitative study was completed by conducting chart reviews of worker’s compensation patients evaluated by the nurse practitioner evaluating any disparities between work restrictions recommended by the nurse practitioner versus the physician. The target population for this study included nurse practitioners treating Ohio worker’s compensation patients in the Occupational Medicine setting. Patient chart reviews were conducted, reviewing the work restriction instructions given by the nurse practitioner and included only initial injury evaluation patients that had a required Medco-14 form. The charts were randomly selected from the past schedules of the two practicing occupational nurse practitioners in a rural Ohio county. Of the 70 random charts reviewed, 100% had no discrepancies between the nurse practitioner work recommendations and that of the physician.

Allowing nurse practitioners to sign Medco-14 forms will increase patient access to care, which in turn results in better patient outcomes.

Licensing Permission

Copyright, all rights reserved. Fair Use

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