Studies on the commitment and implementation of the nurse practitioner

Can the Nurse Practitioner offer added value in providing customized ambulance care?

RAV Brabant Midden-West-Noord asked itself that question in response to the changing demand for care in society. This change has several causes, such as the aging population, the changing paradigm surrounding elderly and care-dependent residents and the increasing need for emergency care outside office hours. The healthcare chain is facing an increasing challenge when it comes to matching the healthcare supply to the healthcare demand. As RAV, we naturally want to be able to continue to provide the right care to our patients, now and in the future. We are also seeing an increasing shift towards customized care in the direct living environment of the patient, and less from transport to the hospital.

Start pilot

Enough reasons for the RAV to investigate the possibilities of providing ambulance care by the right ambulance professional, at the best time and place for the patient. In 2019, we received permission from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport to start a study into the deployment of master-trained nurses (Nurse Practitioners) in ambulance care. This is in addition to the regular care by ambulance nurses and drivers.

Research

To investigate and describe the results of this pilot, the RAV has entered into a partnership with the Acute Intensive Care Lectureship of the Hoge School Arnhem & Nijmegen. The IMPACT consortium was set up especially for this purpose, after which data was collected and interpreted on a large scale, based on prioritized research questions. This ultimately resulted in a report: ‘Report IMPACT Study: Deployment and Implementation of the nurse practitioner at RAV Brabant Midden-West-Noord’.

 This report is a good starting point for the further elaboration and implementation of function and care differentiation within our RAV, but also for the ambulance sector in The Netherlands.

Link naar poster Risco

Link naar presentatie Lennert

Ambulance care in The Netherlands

Every ambulance you see in the Netherlands is supported by an entire organisation. In the Netherlands there are 25 independend ambulance services. They provide ambulance care in their own area. That always starts in the ambulance care dispath center. This is where the 112 emergency calls are received. The Dutch ambulance crew is always prepared. They are highly trained and armed with advanced equipment. The members of the ambulance crew are: the ambulance dispatch centre operator, the ambulance nurse, and the ambulance driver. They work together closely as a team. The animations below explain how the ambulance care in The Netherlands is organised.