The Australian Doctor
30-Nov-09

The first nurse practitioner to work in general practice has won the best practice nurse award for chronic disease management.

Ms Colleen McGoldrick, who works at the Alexandra Park Medical Centre in Bundaberg, Queensland, was presented with the award at the Australian Practice Nurses Association (APNA) Best Practice Nurse Awards last Friday.

Recognising the importance of managing and treating patients with chronic disease, Ms McGoldrick designed and implemented a protocol-based "nurse first, doctor second" clinic system for yearly reviews.

Her approach has seen significant improvements in patient outcomes such as using the cardiovascular clinic to show that home BP monitoring together with regular reviews would improve BP control. At 12 months, home BP control rates rose from 29.9% to 44.8% using the NHF criteria.

Other winners on the night were Ms Lea Young, from Risdon Vale, Tasmania, who was named best practice nurse for innovation in nursing in general practice.

Ms Narelle Smith, from Camden, NSW, won the award for Immunisation; Ms Gloria Forys, Gippsland, Victoria, won the award for women's health; and Ms Marion Goodman, Tamworth, NSW, won the award for quality improvement.

Ms Anne Matyear, APNA president, said: "The outstanding work of the winners exemplifies the role practice nurses can play in delivering high quality and innovative care to their patients, and the APNA Best Practice Nurse Awards strive to recognise these highly valued nurses for their contribution to the wellbeing of our community.

"This year's awards saw a high calibre of nominations. The winners were chosen from a strong field and stood out because of their exemplary level of patient care and professional excellence. They are all true role models and excellent examples of how nurse involvement yields positive health outcomes in primary care."