Utilizing nurse practitioners to provide health care for elderly patients in Massachusetts nursing homes

This study evaluates the nursing contribution to the process of care utilizing nurse practitioners (NPs) to provide health care for nursing home patients in Massachusetts. Using magnetic tapes of data collected through retrospective chart reviews of 2,651 patient records in 110 Massachusetts nursing homes, comparisons were made of the process of care variables of NP/physician team and physician-only models of care. Results from discriminant function analysis revealed process of care variables did discriminate between the two models. The conclusion that NPs provide not only a substitutive role to that of medical care but also a complementary one should be instrumental in enabling policy decisions that encourage the full utilization of NPs.