title: Using an encounter form to develop a clinical database for documenting nurse practitioner primary care.
abstract: A clinical database will enable nurse practitioners to document and improve characteristics of their practices. This information is vital if nurse practitioners expect to achieve success in the changing U.S. health care system. This article describes the process of creating an encounter form and a related clinical database. Changes made in a family practice clinic that were derived from using a clinical database are presented. Additional uses for a clinical database, such as quality assurance, clinical evaluation, and clinical research, are discussed.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Courtney
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Rice
mesh_terms: D003628:Database Management Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005568:Forms and Records Control; D006801:Humans; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D009737:Nursing Records; D015399:Nursing Research; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care