Delineation of the nurse practitioner role: influence of individual characteristics and practice setting on coordination and health promotion activities.

Abstract

This study addressed vital components of NP practice--health promotion, education, counseling, and coordination activities. NP participants in the study who viewed themselves as less closely supervised, who did not have prescriptive authority, and who were employed in health departments tended to perform more health promotion activities. A major assumption underlying the study is that the nurse offering primary health care is in a unique position to influence, monitor, and evaluate patient health behavior. Questions remain about the individual and environmental characteristics that may support, enhance, and promote nurses' involvement in these vital activities. In addition, at present we know very little about the health promoting/educational content provided by primary health care clinicians or sought by their patients, about the processes involved in the delivery of health promotion/preventive health education or about associated patient behavioral and attitudinal outcomes. Given the widely discussed goal of "health for all by the year 2000," all NPs may need to reexamine their current practice and activity work to protect and expand this vital part of the NP role and explore the relative influence of these critical activities on the well-being of their patients.