Knowledge and practices of Ohio nurse practitioners regarding food access of patients

Abstract

To assess the self-identified food security knowledge and practices of nurse practitioners (NPs) in Ohio and the relationships of food security knowledge and practices to NP characteristics. This study utilized a survey approach for data collection. Participants were licensed NPs with prescriptive authority in Ohio who were randomly selected from the Ohio licensure list and responded to a questionnaire (n= 288) with demographic and food security-related questions. Less than one third of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that they were knowledgeable about the topic of food security. Education of NPs about food insecurity and about incorporation of food security principles into the healthcare process is needed. Food insecurity can negatively impact compliance to prescribed treatments. NPs should address food security issues in order to provide specialized, individualized care to patients in order to achieve positive outcomes. Through evaluation of patients' food access, and factors that are related to food insecurity, this can be achieved.