NP Current

NP Current Staff — 2025-11-02

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Innovative Approaches in the Post-Covid Era: The Emerging Role of Nurse Practitioner-Led Virtual Care in a Changing Healthcare Landscape

Sukhdip Grewal — 2025-11-02

Abstract

In 2020, the global COVID-19 pandemic profoundly disrupted healthcare systems, overwhelming hospital capacities, straining Emergency Departments (EDs) and exposing gaps in primary care access. These challenges necessitated a swift transformation of care delivery models, with virtual care emerging as a pivotal solution. In Canada, healthcare organizations and clinicians embraced this shift by prioritizing innovation to maintain the quality and integrity of patient care.

As leaders in this innovative approach, the University Health Network (UHN) developed the “Connected Care Hub (CCH),” a transitional Nurse Practitioner (NP)-led virtual clinic, designed to deliver comprehensive, safe, timely and accessible care. Initially focused on the management of COVID-19 patients, the CCH has since evolved into a hub that addresses a broad spectrum of acute and chronic conditions through comprehensive virtual assessments, timely diagnoses, treatments and structured follow-up. The CCH collaborates closely with home care providers, community pharmacies, specialists and primary care providers (PCPs) to bridge gaps in transitional care. Its primary achievements include enhancing care quality, preventing unnecessary ED visits, expediting hospital discharges and reducing readmissions.

These outcomes highlight how virtual, transitional care can improve healthcare accessibility, enhance patient outcomes and reduce health system strain. By preventing avoidable ED visits, enabling earlier hospital discharges and minimizing hospital readmissions, the CCH highlights the transformative role of NP-led virtual care in reshaping healthcare delivery. This paper explores the successes, challenges and future implications of this model, offering valuable insights for global healthcare systems navigating a new era of care.

Riddle Me Out: Emerging Utilization of Escape Rooms as a NoVel Approach to NP Student EducAtion and Learning, The “REVEAL - NP Curriculum Project”

Nicole Gorman — 2025-11-02

Introduction: This study explores the use of a virtual escape room to enhance clinical reasoning (CR) skills in Nurse Practitioner (NP) students, specifically in the diagnosis and management of headaches in primary care. With increasing demand for NP education and faculty shortages, innovative teaching methods are needed. Virtual escape rooms, a gamified learning approach, provide an interactive, engaging way to develop CR skills. Methods: A mixed-methods design was used to assess the perceptions of 12 NP students from two cohorts at Thompson Rivers University. Results: All 12 students participated in the virtual escape room experience and the virtual debriefing session. Only 7 of the 12 students completed the post-simulation survey, accounting for a 58% return. Discussion: Tenants of the escape room emerged, such as enjoyment, versatility, and transferability of this learning modality to other topics, summarized within the theme of satisfaction. Much of the commentary was positive and participants expressed gratitude for being part of the experience. Conclusion: The study supports virtual escape rooms as a promising educational tool for NP programs and suggests further research with larger samples and improvements in the platform’s usability.

Screening Practices of Healthcare Providers for Patients' Social Determinants of Health

Miranda Bevilacqua — 2025-11-02

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies have demonstrated the link between inequities in social determinants of health (SDoH) and poor health outcomes. Healthcare providers are integral to the identification of SDoH-related risks and serve as key contributors to both health protection and promotion.

OBJECTIVE: To examine healthcare providers' SDoH-related screening practices and potential barriers and facilitators to effective screening.

METHODS: We analyzed survey data from 70 healthcare providers across Northern Ontario on their screening practices of their patient's SDoH using a Likert-style survey with optional comments on Qualtrics.

RESULTS: Seventy-three percent of participants were nurses, with the majority working in acute care (25%) in the North West Local Health Integration Network (95%). Overall, 75% of participants stated they were taught about SDoH in their education; however, they did not necessarily know where to refer patients for assistance should there be a need, nor how to screen. Fifty-eight percent said screening for SDoH was part of their employment, however only 57% felt they had enough time to complete the screening. Twenty-one percent stated they did not have a standardized assessment tool to use nor a specific time to complete the assessment. Sixty-eight percent said they feel moral distress over screening for SDoH, given the lack of resources or time to complete the assessment. The majority (82%) of referrals for SDoH were to Social Work.

CONCLUSION: Healthcare providers recognize that screening for SDoH is crucial. However, participants felt there was insufficient time to screen and lacked a streamlined way to assess and document the screening. Our results suggest the need for standardized ways to assess for SDoH, such as on admission and using electronic health records.