RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Use of the Ottawa ankle rules by nurse practitioners.
JF Journal of Accident & Emergency Medicine
JO Arch Emerg Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the British Association for Accident & Emergency Medicine
SP 315
OP 316
DO 10.1136/emj.15.5.315
VO 15
IS 5
A1 C J Mann
A1 I Grant
A1 H Guly
A1 P Hughes
YR 1998
UL http://emj.bmj.com/content/15/5/315.abstract
AB OBJECTIVE: To determine the ability of nurse practitioners to use the Ottawa ankle rules by comparing their requests for radiography with those of senior house officers (SHOs). METHOD: 1365 patients were assessed by a nurse trained in the use of the Ottawa ankle rules. Where indicated the nurse sent the patient for radiography. 700 patients in the same period were seen by SHOs who had not received training in these rules. After three months the SHOs were similarly trained in the use of the rules and a further 700 patients were seen. RESULTS: Nurse practitioners assessed 1365 patients; 72.6% had radiography. 1398 patients were seen only by an SHO. Before their use of the Ottawa ankle rules SHOs requested radiography in 91.0% (p = 0.001); using the rules this fell to 74.2% (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Nurse practitioners trained to use the Ottawa ankle rules are as effective as SHOs in the implementation of the rules. Moreover the sensitivity and specificity of the Ottawa ankle rules was similar to that seen in other studies.