New Evidence That Nurse Practitioners Provide Excellent Primary Care Services

Jeffrey A. Singer and Spencer PrattEver since thefirst nurse practitioner (NP) was created in 1965, a debate has raged between the medical profession and the advanced practice nursing profession (APRNs) over whether NPs can provide primary care services comparable in quality to physicians. Organizationsrepresenting APRNs argue that nurse practitioners receive training that fully qualifies them to provide primary care services. Organizations such as theAmerican Medical Association maintain that “care from nonphysicians is dangerously being promoted as ‘just as good’ as that provided by doctors—despite the huge differences in education and training requirements.”Both opponents and proponents of expanding nurse practitioners ’ scope of practice can cite literature comparing care by NPs to care by physicians. Opponents point to the differences ineducation and training: physicians must complete 10,000 to 16,000 hours of clinical education and training, while NPs only have 500 to 720 hours. Proponents cite research that NPs provide safe,comparable care to their physician counterparts. Proponents and opponents make these arguments to state lawmakers considering legislation to expand NP scope of practice in their states.Some physicians claim that NPs make up for their lack of knowledge and experience by ordering too many tests or consulting too many medical specialists, which adds to health care costs. If so, that also makes the argument that, rather than g...

Source: Cato-at-liberty - November 4, 2022 Category: American Health Authors: Jeffrey A. Singer, Spencer Pratt Source Type: blogs