A cost evaluation of the family practice nurse in rural Newfoundland

Bruce-Lockhart, Patricia Louise (1976) A cost evaluation of the family practice nurse in rural Newfoundland. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

This research focuses its attention on the development of cost measurement tools which would empirically assess the costs associated with ten health service categories in order to measure the economic impact associated with the attachment of a family practice nurse in rural Newfoundland. An investigation of the utilization of these same health service categories by Family Practice Nurse Communities and a Control Community was also carried out during a period prior to the introduction of the FPN. -- Data was obtained from hospital accounts of the Baie Verte Peninsula Community Health Centre, provincial government accounts, provincial medical care plan (MCP) payment schedules and other sources such as records from the School Medical Health Officer and the Director of Public Health Nursing for the province. Unit costs for ten health service categories were calculated from the Health Centre accounts where possible and were as follows: hospital out-patient visit ($7.67 per visit); hospital in-patient day ($69.50/day); home visits by a physician ($10.80/visit); well-baby visits ($1.45/visit); school examinations ($5.40/exam); immunizations ($1.08/immunization); out-patient laboratory units ($0.11/unit); out-patient X-Ray examination ($7.80/exam); prenatal visits ($7.67/visit); and home visits by a public health nurse ($14.16/visit). -- The FPN Communities received a statistically significantly lower proportion of service than the Control Community for the following: (1) hospital out-patient visits; (2) well-baby visits; (3) immunizations; (4) out-patient laboratory units; and (5) out-patient X-Ray examinations. The mean number of services of persons receiving one or more services were compared between communities with immunizations and out-patient laboratory units found to be statistically significantly lower in the FPN Communities.

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