The role of the nurse practitioner within the Hospital at Night service.

The Hospital at Night (HaN) service uses a multidisciplinary approach to prioritise the care of acutely ill patients overnight. Nurse practitioners (NPs) play a key role in coordinating this service and provide support to ward-based staff. Despite evidence that HaN can positively impact on patient care, it may be met with scepticism owing to changes in how acutely ill patients are assessed overnight. The aim of this study was to identify the perceptions held by nursing and medical staff on the NP role within HaN. A sample of 46 nurses and 52 doctors in an acute hospital completed questionnaires, which were developed based on components of the nurse practitioner role description. Staff's perceptions were generally similar regarding most role components. However, some variations were identified about components such as patient assessment and teaching. Scheduled education sessions can potentially increase staff awareness of NP roles and improve staff collaboration around patients' care overnight.