Help us build a profile about the work of nurse practitioners in Australian general practice!

This pilot study involves testing an online electronic data collection tool called OCEAN (Occasions of Care Explained and ANalysed). The OCEAN tool has been created for use in several planned projects about the clinical activity of nurses and allied health professionals working in general practice. The OCEAN tool has undergone technical testing and this pilot study aims to test how OCEAN will work in real-time.

Why is the OCEAN study being done?

Research in general practice has historically focused largely on the roles of general practitioners. However, effective primary care relies on a range of health professionals, including general practice nurses (GPNs) and nurse practitioners (NPs). There is currently no comprehensive way to capture data on the clinical contributions of NPs and the value they bring to multidisciplinary team-based care. OCEAN provides an exciting opportunity for NPs working in general practice to highlight the value of their work.

What does the pilot study involve?

We aim to have up to ten NPs complete the OCEAN NP pilot study. Everyone who takes part will be asked to complete the following:

• a Professional Profile – a survey that asks about the nurse’s education, skills, experience and scope of practice
• an encounter form for each of 100 patient encounters (equalling 100 encounter forms in total)
• a feedback survey.

Who can take part?

You must be an endorsed nurse practitioner working in a general practice in Australia to take part in this pilot study.

Do I need to complete all 100 encounters?

Yes, please! Recording details of 100 consecutive encounters allows us to get a good overview of your clinical practice.

We understand that recording 100 patient encounters might seem daunting. There’s a practise form for you to work through first, so that you can get used to the way our survey form is structured.  We also recommend starting by recording one or two encounters a day for the first few days to ease into it.

If you feel like you will struggle to complete all 100 encounters, please contact our research team on 1800 2OCEAN (1800 2 62326) and we’ll do our best to help.

What comes after the pilot study?

This pilot study is being done to plan and prepare for a larger study about the work of nurses in general practice in Australia. We expect that the larger study will be rolled out in late 2025/early 2026.