title: Editorial.
abstract: The first ever comprehensive evaluation of nurse practitioners, published last week showed some mixed results. The South Thames study looked at 18 NPs over two years and tested their effectiveness in community areas, GP practices, with the homeless and in A&E departments. The clear winner in terms of effectiveness was the GP practice. So where do we go now in terms of NPs? In a sense there is little chance that a research report can stop the march of progress. Nurse practitioners are everywhere. But what the Touche Ross report will help do is perhaps focus their development in areas where they work best. The evaluation shows that they are safe and effective practitioners who are well liked by patients, but it demonstrates that they are not, as the researchers' themselves put it, 'a cheap, quick-fix solution'.