A Proposal for a Men's Health Nurse Practitioner

The educational preparation of a men's health nurse practitioner (MHNP) is proposed. The MHNP's scope of practice would address the complex health needs of men from a holistic perspective with emphasis on the knowledge and skills necessary for providing comprehensive primary care. Need for the MHNP is discussed, and scope of practice is delineated. Conclusions are drawn regarding the future of the MHNP in the scheme of total health care.     

Pharmacist and Nurse Practitioner Collaboration in Nurse-managed Health Clinic

Medication therapy problems, such as incorrect dosing, adverse drug reactions, and decreased adherence, result in harm to patients and increases in costs. In the literature, there are many examples of pharmacist-physician partnerships aimed to optimize patients’ medication use. As more nurse-managed health clinics continue to open, it is important for the nurse practitioner to consider partnership opportunities. In this report we describe an interprofessional “teamlet” consisting of a pharmacist and nurse practitioner as a model of collaborative care.     

Medical Home and the Nurse Practitioner: A Policy Analysis

As chronic disease and health care costs escalate, nurse practitioners (NPs) are in a pivotal position to participate in the Medicare Medical Home Demonstration Project (2006) that allows for NP-led patient-centered medical home practices to be reimbursed for coordination of chronic care, specifically for those complex patients with multiple chronic conditions. This policy analysis reviews the evidence for three potential patient-centered practice design alternatives, to evaluate the most viable patient-centered medical home practice design alternative for NPs. Strategies are included for NPs to actively participate in this endeavor.     

A Scoping Review of Nurse Practitioner Roles in Immigrant Health

The provision of adequate health care services to immigrants continues to be an issue in many countries. The objective of this scoping review is to examine the extent, range, nature, and characteristics of the literature for the nurse practitioner (NP) role in immigrant health. A search of 5 databases was completed, yielding 440 studies. After reviewing the abstracts and eliminating studies based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, only 5 studies qualified for the scoping review. Given that scope of NPs’ roles is expanding, this review reveals how NP care can improve immigrants’ health. Barriers to the utilization of NPs in immigrant health include language, the development of therapeutic relationships, and cultural beliefs. Overall, this review shows that there is a need for more research on the role of NPs in immigrant health, especially from the perspective of service recipients.     

Telehealth Education of Nurse Practitioner Students

Telehealth is rapidly becoming a viable mode of health care delivery. Telehealth education of nurse practitioners (NPs) is recommended during their academic careers to increase confidence in the use of this technology. On the basis of competencies developed by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties and using the Multimodal Framework as a guide, telehealth was integrated into an NP curriculum. This article provides a high-level overview of the structure, process, and outcomes of how telehealth was integrated into an NP program of study, inclusive of didactic, experiential, and clinical components.     

Nurse Practitioner Political Strength Through Unification

If nurse practitioners are to achieve their goal of serving as the principal providers of primary health care and having a major voice in health policy decisons, they must increase their political effectiveness. Of all the problems that nurse practitioners face today, this is one of the most serious. This article identifies some of the reasons why nurse practitioners have failed to achieve maximum political effectiveness, such as lack of national stancardization of the role, titling confusion, and the lack of research to demonstrate that the nurse practitioner is the most appropriate and cost effective primary health care provider. Next, the consequences of the above are explored. Finally, some solutions are proposed, the most important of which is the establishment of a strong national nurse practitioner organization to serve as the voice of all nurse practitioners.