Using Patient Satisfaction Scores to Compare the Performance of Nurse Practitioners As Compared to Doctors in Direct Endoscopy Clinics: A Novel Pilot Trial

The rising aging demographic alongside an expansion of the bowel cancer screening program within Australia has resulted in growing endoscopy wait lists. Compounding this with physician shortages nationwide has prompted health systems to expand the role of nurse practitioners (NPs) into traditionally physician-led settings. This pilot trial explored patient satisfaction with NP-led care compared to physician-led care in direct access endoscopy (DAE) clinics. Patients attending DAE clinics were surveyed regarding their experiences before and after their consultation. The survey assessed professionalism, communication, and overall satisfaction using a 5-point Likert scale. Among the surveyed 71 participants, patients who saw NPs rated their experiences more positively in terms of professionalism and friendliness, although satisfaction levels were comparable overall between NPs and physicians. Despite preconceived biases favouring physicians, 90.3% of patients indicated they would be willing to see an NP again. These findings suggest that patient satisfaction with an NP-led DAE clinic parallels that of a physician-based model. The study also highlights the importance of addressing patient misconceptions about NPs to foster greater acceptance of NP-led care. This proposed NP-led model of care would allow gastroenterologists to maximise their procedural endoscopy time by minimising time spent in the outpatient clinic. Future research with larger, multi-site studies could further validate these results and assess clinical outcomes to support the broader implementation of NP-led DAE clinics.