Nurse attendee purchasing patterns

Retention of nursing professionals is crucial in responding to the increasing demand for and complexity of nursing care. Augmenting the decision-making role of nurses is one important retention-related strategy. Purchasing patterns reflect one aspect of nurses' decision-making role. National meetings provide nurses with an opportunity to investigate educational and employment options, as well as to preview technological advances in patient care products and supplies. Yet, the purchasing patterns of nurses related to the marketing of patient care supplies, or educational material at national meetings have rarely been acknowledged or researched. This study investigated the purchasing patterns of nurse attendees as revealed at a national meeting and how attendance influenced purchasing input following the meeting. The study addressed differences in purchasing patterns between specific groups of nurse attendees, as well as the relationship between meeting attendance motivators and purchasing patterns. A descriptive methodology utilizing participant observation at four national nursing meetings and mail survey in four phases was used to determine if there were: (1) identifiable purchasing patterns for nurses attending specific nursing-organization sponsored national meetings, (2) differences in purchasing patterns between nurse attendees from these meetings, (3) differences in self-reported post-meeting purchase input, and (4) relationships between meeting attendance motivators and purchasing patterns. The findings demonstrate that nurse attendee purchasing patterns can be identified and do vary among nursing groups. Nurse attendees at specialty meetings were more likely to act as specifiers, have a more dominant role in purchasing and were more likely to influence product purchases than were nurse attendees from generalist meetings. Self-reports of post-meeting purchasing input demonstrated that nurse attendees utilized information gained at national meetings in subsequent patient care product selections, product utilization and specification of new products/equipment/protocols for trial within the practice site. Positive relationships between meeting attendance motivators and purchasing patterns were most evident for those nurse attendees with greater purchasing involvement and influence.