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This article describes the findings of the nurse practitioner professional liability claims study that was published by CNA HealthPro and the Nurses Services Organization in 2005. The content summarizes study findings related to the frequency and severity of nurse practitioner professional liability claims. It delineates those areas of practice with higher risk related to patient injury and/or financial loss. It is intended to increase nurse practitioner awareness of the professional liability actions they face and assist them in identifying and minimizing the risks in their own practices. The article also summarizes risk management strategies providing the opportunity for nurse practitioners to compare their current professional, clinical, and documentation practices with recommended, effective risk management actions. Instructions to obtain the original study are noted.
Keywords: nurse practitioner; risk management strategies; malpractice claims; malpractice claim prevention; CNA HealthPro; nurses services organization ; scope of practice; nurse practice acts; claim severity
Nurse practitioners, like other health care providers, are vulnerable to professional liability claims. This liability creates clinical, legal, financial, and operational challenges for the nurse practitioners, their employers, and physician collaborators or supervisors. CNA, in association with the Nurses Service Organization (NSO), the brand name used by Affinity Insurance Services, the managing general underwriter of the CNA Professional Liability program for nurses, is a major provider of professional liability insurance for nurse practitioners. As such, the company is dedicated to improving the risk awareness of nurse practitioners. Increased awareness is important so that nurse practitioners may focus on patient safety and thereby seek to improve their professional liability loss experience. CNA published an analysis of its insured nurse practitioners' professional liability claims database to identify areas of potential risk and help focus risk management strategies. A synopsis of that study is presented here.1
THE ROLE OF THE NURSE PRACTITIONER
The increasing demand for qualified nurse practitioners, recognition of the importance of the nurse practitioner's clinical role, and improving third-party reimbursement for nurse practitioner clinical services have encouraged more nurses to become nurse practitioners. Estimates indicate that the number of nurse practitioners in the United States rose from 48,237 in 1992 to approximately 115,000 in the first quarter of 2004. Estimates indicate that 5,000 to 6,000 new nurse practitioners join the workforce each year.
Nurse practitioners have...