Press Release
Nurse practitioners (NPs) soon may be able to admit and discharge patients from hospital, helping to make the health system more efficient while saving time for patients.
The province is proposing changes to the Public Hospitals Act to give NPs the authority to admit and discharge patients from hospital.
Hospitals would have the ability to allow NPs to discharge patients beginning this July 1, and the ability to admit them on July 1, 2012.
The role of NPs has been expanded in recent years to take full advantage of their high level of training and skills.
For instance, NPs can prescribe medications, order diagnostic tests, and are leading North America’s first nurse practitioner-led clinics.
This change would make Ontario the first Canadian province to allow NPs to admit and discharge hospital patients.
More importantly, this change would help improve the discharge process and help patients get home to their families sooner.
“This is great news for nurse practitioners and for patients,” enthused Doris Grinspun, executive director, Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario.
“With these changes, the government is recognizing the expertise of NPs and the increased contribution they can make to health-care delivery,” she remarked.
There currently are 1,850 NPs entitled to practise in Ontario.
The United States, New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom currently allow NPs to admit and discharge patients.
Currently, only physicians, dentists, and midwives may admit and discharge hospital patients in Ontario.