Enhancing orthopedic care: The impact of introducing nurse practitioners.

Introduction: Orthopedic surgery constitutes a significant portion of surgical interventions globally, driven by aging populations (Spence et al., 2019). Nurse practitioners (NPs) have emerged as essential team members in orthopedic surgery, offering expertise and advanced training.

Nurse Practitioners in Orthopaedic Surgical Settings: A Review of the Literature.

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to conduct an extensive literature review of nurse practitioners (NPs) in orthopaedic surgical settings to delineate whether a need exists for NPs in these settings.

Background: Due to physician shortages and changes in healthcare, patients are experiencing difficulty accessing orthopaedic surgeons. To meet this need, NPs are becoming an essential part of the multidisciplinary orthopaedic team in Level 1 trauma hospitals.