Factors Influencing Panel Size of Primary Care Nurse Practitioners

The aim of this study was to investigate organizational and practitioner-related factors influencing the panel size of primary care nurse practitioners (PC-NPs) in Quebec (Canada). Cross-sectional study. This secondary analysis was based on a cross-sectional study that used a self-administered online questionnaire available from March to April 2022 to assess the work conditions of NPs in Quebec. A multiple regression analysis was conducted on a subset of 321 PC-NPs to predict panel size and associated factors. Among 321 PC-NPs, with a mean of 4.6 years of experience as NP, the average panel size was 344 patients. Factors significantly associated with a greater panel size were a higher number of years of experience as a NP (p < 0.001), a higher number of years spent in the current organization (p < 0.001) and a higher number of patients seen in an average day (p < 0.001). Our study provided a measure of the PC-NP panel size in the province of Québec highlighting their essential role in primary health care. The results suggest that policymakers and administrators should focus on enhancing the experience of their PC team, ensuring employment stability and providing adequate time for patient appointments to optimize PC-NP panel size and enhance service capacity to increase access to primary health care.