Evaluating the cost of NP-led vs. GP-led primary care in British Columbia.

In 2020, British Columbia (BC) opened four pilot Nurse Practitioner Primary Care Clinics (NP-PCCs) to improve primary care access. The aim of this economic evaluation is to compare the average cost of care provided by Nurse Practitioners (NPs) working in BC's NP-PCCs to what it would have cost the government to have physicians provide equivalent care. Comparisons were made to both the Fee-For-Service (FFS) model and BC's new Longitudinal Family Physician (LFP) model. The analyses relied on administrative data, mostly from the Medical Services Plan (MSP) and Chronic Disease Registry (CDR) via BC's Health Data Platform. Results show the cost of NPs providing care in the NP-PCCs is slightly lower than what it would cost to provide similar care in medical clinics staffed by physicians paid through the LFP model. This suggests that the NP-PCC model is an efficient approach to increase accessibility to primary care services in BC and should be considered for expansion across the province.

Pre-post analysis of the impact of British Columbia nurse practitioner primary care clinics on patient health and care experience.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to evaluate the impact of a primary care nurse practitioner (NP)-led clinic model piloted in British Columbia (Canada) on patients' health and care experience. DESIGN: The study relies on a quasi-experimental longitudinal design based on a pre-and-post survey of patients receiving care in NP-led clinics. The prerostering survey (T0) was focused on patients' health status and care experiences preceding being rostered to the NP clinic. One year later, patients were asked to complete a similar survey (T1) focused on the care experiences with the NP clinic. SETTING: To solve recurring problems related to poor primary care accessibility, British Columbia opened four pilot NP-led clinics in 2020. Each clinic has the equivalent of approximately six full-time NPs, four other clinicians plus support staff. Clinics are located in four cities ranging from urban to suburban. PARTICIPANTS: Recruitment was conducted by the clinic's clerical staff or by their care provider. A total of 437 usable T0 surveys and 254 matched and usable T1 surveys were collected. PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The survey instrument was focused on five core dimensions of patients' primary care experience (accessibility, continuity, comprehensiveness, responsiveness and outcomes of care) as well as on the SF-12 Short-form Health Survey. RESULTS: Scores for all dimensions of patients' primary care experience increased significantly: accessibility (T0=5.9, T1=7.9, p<0.001), continuity (T0=5.5, T1=8.8, p<0.001), comprehensiveness (T0=5.6, T1=8.4, p<0.001), responsiveness (T0=7.2, T1=9.5, p<0.001), outcomes of care (T0=5.0, T1=8.3, p<0.001). SF-12 Physical health T-scores also rose significantly (T0=44.8, T1=47.6, p<0.001) but no changes we found in the mental health T scores (T0=45.8, T1=46.3 p=0.709). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the NP-led primary care model studied here likely constitutes an effective approach to improve primary care accessibility and quality.

Rediscovering the art of medicine, rewards, and risks: Physicians' experience of providing medical assistance in dying in Canada.

BACKGROUND: Medical assistance in dying opens up uncharted professional territory for Canadian physicians extending their practices to include assisting and hastening death for eligible patients. OBJECTIVES: To understand physicians' experience of participating in assisted dying and the emotional and professional impact. METHODS: An interpretive descriptive methodology and thematic analysis were used for this research. We interviewed eight physicians engaged in assessing and providing medical assistance in dying. Data were collected through audio taped, semi-structured interviews in person or by phone. RESULTS: Three overarching themes included (1) rediscovering the art of medicine, (2) unexpected rewards, and (3) negotiating risks and challenges. Each theme has accompanying sub-themes. CONCLUSION: Medical assistance in dying is markedly different from other physicians' practices in that it has an enriched capacity for caring. The process brings deep satisfaction characterized by intimate, personalized contact with patients and families. The professional rewards of providing medical assistance in dying outweigh the challenges, offering an alternative narrative to more publicly accepted views of assisting someone to die.