Gerontological nurse practitioners (GNPs) for the first time in Israel: Physicians' and nurses' attitudes.

Abstract

Nurse practitioners (NPs) have recently been partially introduced by the Israel Ministry of Health. This study examines the attitudes among gerontological physicians and nurses toward the scope of practice and effects on healthcare quality of the new role of gerontological NPs (GNPs). A descriptive survey methodology, with a cross-sectional design, was used. According to about 50% of the respondents, GNPs would be expected to have various positive effects on health care, such as reducing the number of referrals to emergency care, as well as readmissions. Despite the overall positive attitude to the GNPs' role, nurses and physicians perceived its scope of practice somewhat differently. Implementing the NP role involves multiple challenges and provides insights into this complex new function. Especially in these early stages, identified intentions for the NP role and value of the role by healthcare teams are expected to be useful to policy makers for planning effective utilization of NPs in healthcare workforce. This role is also a new role in other countries, so these findings should be relevant beyond Israel.