Determining the market for Family Nurse Practitioner services: the Seattle experience

Using a stratified random sample of 239 Seattle residents, a telephone survey was conducted to investigate the relationships between consumer values and consumer intentions to use Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) services. Applying marketing theories, this study indicated that 27.3% of the respondents intended to use FNP care. Stepwise discriminant analysis suggested that the best predictors of intention to use FNP services were age, family size, compatibility of services with individual and family norms, knowledge about FNPs, and the value attached to health education, which is part of FNP care. Evidence from this study suggests that potential users of FNP services are primarily women, who are relatively more affluent, better-educated, and younger than the general population. Analysis of the characteristics, values, and knowledge of this group provides valuable information for designing effective marketing strategies to reach this target market, meeting the needs of both consumers and providers of care.