ABSTRACT
Collaborative practice between physicians and other health-care providers, including nurses and advanced practice health professionals such as, physician assistants [PAs] and nurse practitioners [NPs], has been shown to improve the cost, quality, and outcomes of health care. This chapter briefly describes the education, training, and roles of the health-care providers. Although collaboration between members of the health-care team has been a topic of study and discussion for several years, collaborative practice models for use in the acute and intensive care settings have been lacking. Working collaboratively with a neurologist, neurosurgeon, and/or neurointensivist is necessary when NPs and PAs practice in the inpatient setting and manage patients with neurologic conditions. More importantly, the remainder of the health-care team, the patient, and the patient's family must all be considered integral members of the team. Utilizing a comprehensive, collaborative approach to care has been shown to improve patient outcomes as well as patient satisfaction.
