Characterizing nurse practitioner practice by sampling patient encounters: an APRNet study.

Area of Science:

• Primary Care Research
• Health Services Research
• Advanced Practice Nursing

Background:

• Characterizing nurse practitioner (NP) practice is crucial for understanding their role in primary care.
• Previous studies often lacked detailed practice pattern data specific to NPs.
• This study aimed to provide a systematic characterization of NP practice using patient encounter data.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize nurse practitioners' (NPs') practice patterns through direct reporting of patient encounters.
• To compare NP practice patterns with those of physician-run practices within a larger primary care survey.
• To establish a systematic method for documenting NP practice in primary care settings.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive survey was developed by a consortium of 20 practice-based research networks (PBRNs).
• Data were collected over a 6-month period immediately following patient encounters.
• The Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Network (APRNet) exclusively collected and reported data under NP study IDs.

Main Results:

• Acute health problems accounted for 45% of NP-treated episodes, compared to 30% for chronic condition exacerbations.
• Nurse practitioners provided counseling in 84% of primary care visits, significantly more than physicians (61%).
• The type of counseling varied based on the specific type of NP.

Conclusions:

• This survey provides a systematic approach to characterizing NP practice in primary care.
• Findings highlight the significant role of NPs in managing acute conditions and providing patient counseling.
• Further documentation and clarification of NP practice patterns are essential for healthcare system understanding.