BackgroundPublicly funded health services face persistent challenges in meeting demand for specialty care, particularly in rhinology. Task shifting-the redistribution of clinical tasks from specialists to trained non-specialists-may offer a strategy to optimize health-care delivery. This study evaluates the outcomes of a nurse-led assessment pathway within an outpatient rhinology service in New Zealand.MethodsTo address increased demand for rhinology services, a registered nurse (RN) at Waikato Hospital was trained to perform initial assessments for patients referred for undifferentiated chronic nasal symptoms. We describe outcomes of this approach over the initial 18-month period.ResultsA total of 309 patients were assessed through the nurse-led pathway. The average wait time from referral to assessment decreased when compared to the specialist-led clinic. Most patients were discharged with a treatment plan that did not require specialist care. Patient feedback indicated high satisfaction with the nurse-led consultation.ConclusionTask shifting offers a promising solution to address resource constraints in publicly funded health-care systems. Nurse-led assessments can enhance efficiency and optimize care delivery without compromising quality. These findings suggest that task-shifting may be broadly applied to improve outcomes in other resource-constrained health-care settings.
Shimizu et al. (Tue,) studied this question.