Highlights from the NSO 2012 Qualitative Nurse Practitioner Work Profile Survey

Within the report Nurse Practitioner 2012 Liability Update: A Three-Part Approach, produced by Nurses Service Organization (NSO) and their carrier partner CNA, is a survey taken by 1,100 of their nurse practitioner policyholders, 209 of whom had been involved in a professional liability claim.

The intent of the survey is to provide additional insights into professional liability claims not contained in the statistical claim data compiled by CNA, such as the impact, if any, of such factors as age, education, using electronic records, years in practice and level of supervision.

Among the survey’s key findings:

• Most respondents who experienced claims had a master’s degree in nursing. Average total paid amounts were directly correlated with level of education, with higher levels experiencing higher average total amounts paid.
• The number of claims increased with the respondents’ experience. Nearly 73 percent of respondents who experienced claims had worked as a nurse practitioner for more than 11 years. Highest average total paid amounts were for those who had been in practice for six to 10 years. This correlates with the findings that the longer a nurse practitioner is in practice, the higher his or her risk of experiencing a claim.
• Most respondents (76.4 percent) indicated that they refused to perform out-of-scope actions. Those who experienced claims related to practicing outside their scope of practice indicated that the biggest factor influencing their decision to practice beyond their scope was the finding that they were trained to do the procedure by their supervising physician.
• A majority of respondents who experienced claims indicated that supervision was available if needed. Respondents who indicated they were not supervised at all had the highest average total amount paid.
• A little more than one-third of respondents who experienced claims spent an average of 16 to 20 minutes in direct contact with their patients. With one exception, more time spent in direct contact with patients correlated with slightly decreased average total paid amounts.
• Using electronic medical records was associated with the lowest average total amount paid.

For more detailed results found in the survey, view the full report.