Interventional radiology: new roles for nurse practitioners.

Because interventional radiology has become a common adjunct in vascular access care, advanced practice nurses (APNs) have recently been utilized to perform additional duties in the radiology department. This not only frees the radiologist to concentrate on direct patient care and interventional procedures but also allows the APN to coordinate the patients' radiological and dialysis care, provide patient education, and act as a resource to the dialysis facility.