Glycemic control: Can nurse practitioners on interprofessional collaborative practice teams enhance clinical outcomes?

Background And Purpose: Care coordination and specialized knowledge of prescriptive authority are fundamental to advanced nursing practice. Little research documents patient clinical outcomes in primary care when nurse practitioners are members of an interprofessional education and collaborative practice (IPECP) team. This cross-sectional study examined differences in glycemic control among Texas patients who received care by a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and an IPECP team in one calendar year.

Methods: A convenience sample of 120 adult volunteers with diabetes was followed in a community-based clinic by an FNP; of these, 34 received additional care by an IPECP team. Data on selected demographic indices and HgbA1c were derived from the health center's Electronic Medical Record using a retrospective review, and linkage with the federally funded IPECP Project database.

Conclusions: Patients with two or more FNP visits and two or more visits with the IPECP team had statistically significant reductions in HgbA1c levels at the end of 1 year.

Implications For Practice: Actualizing point-of-care treatment adjustments is a particular strength of advanced practice nurses but potentially a missed opportunity on interprofessional teams. Further study is needed on clinical outcomes of nurse practitioner contributions to IPECP team care.