Ambulatory care. An objective assessment.

Budget constraints, loss of staff, and the inability of administrators to define nursing needs in the outpatient department lead to the development of a tool to define the role of the healthcare provider in the outpatient department. The author discusses the tool's use in categorizing and quantifying nursing activities. Administrators in ambulatory care now have an opportunity to use this readily adaptable method in their outpatient areas to assist in developing quality, cost-effective nursing.