Physician-perceived incentives for association with nurse practitioners

A 1985 study was conducted concerning physician motivation to form an association with nurse practitioners. The study explored NP-association incentives in relation to year of physician graduation from medical school, physician specialty and type of practice. Subjects for the study were 58 Arizona physicians associated in practice with nurse practitioners. Data were collected via mail questionnaires. Data analysis included descriptions of the demographic characteristics, factor analysis, analysis of variance and a specific comparison test. Results indicated physicians perceived increased accessibility to their services and improved quality of their care as being the most important incentives for NP association. Economic incentives were a low priority for the majority of respondents. There were significant differences related to physician specialty. Internists placed less importance on all incentives than other specialties did; emergency medicine physicians placed more importance on physician satisfaction; obstetricians and gynecologists placed more importance on economics. The relatively low importance ratings of the internal medicine physicians may represent a resistance to extension of hospital privileges to nurse practitioners.