The outcomes of nurse practitioner (NP)-Provided home visits: A systematic review.
Zainab Toteh Osakwe, Sainfer Aliyu, Olukayode Ayodeji Sosina and 1 others
PMID 32718756WHAT IT FOUND
Nurse practitioner home visits for older adults showed mixed results.
Some studies found fewer emergency room visits or hospital readmissions, while others found no change. The evidence is limited and inconsistent, so these visits do not reliably prevent hospital use.
Key findings
01The review found only 7 studies involving 1,748 participants, with mixed results on healthcare utilization outcomes.
02Two studies reported reductions in emergency department visits, but one found no significant difference and another found effects only at short intervals.
03Readmission rates decreased in some studies but not others, and one study found no sustained effect at 12 months.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only seven studies were identified, limiting the ability to draw firm conclusions. Study designs, patient populations, and intervention details varied considerably, making direct comparison difficult. Most studies did not control for potential confounders like comorbidities. The review excluded studies where nurse practitioners worked jointly with physicians, which may have missed real-world collaborative models. None of the studies directly compared nurse practitioner home visits to visits by other providers. There is a possibility of publication bias as unpublished data were not included.
Declared interests
The paper does not report any specific conflicts of interest or funding sources in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that nurse practitioner home visits reliably prevent hospital readmissions or emergency department visits. The evidence is mixed and limited, with many studies showing no significant effect or effects that were not sustained over time.