An Assessment of How Nurse Practitioners Create Access to Primary Care in Canadian Residential Long-Term Care Settings.
The aim of this paper is to explore the role and activities of nurse practitioners (NPs) working in long-term care (LTC) to understand concepts of access to primary care for residents. Utilizing the "FIT" framework developed by Penchanksy and Thomas, we used a directed content analysis method to analyze data from a pan-Canadian study of NPs in LTC. Individual and focus group interviews were conducted at four sites in western, central and eastern regions of Canada with 143 participants, including NPs, RNs, regulated and unregulated nursing staff, allied health professionals, physicians, administrators and directors and residents and family members. Participants emphasized how the availability and accessibility of the NP had an impact on access to primary and urgent care for residents. Understanding more about how NPs affect access in Canadian LTC will be valuable for nursing practice and healthcare planning and policy and may assist other countries in planning for the introduction of NPs in LTC settings to increase access to primary care.
Associate Professor, School of Nursing, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON.
Nancy
N
Carter
Associate Professor, School of Nursing, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC.
Esther
E
Sangster-Gormley
Professor, School of Nursing, Associate Member, Department of Health, Aging and Society, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON.
Jenny
J
Ploeg
Professor, School of Nursing, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS.
Ruth
R
Martin-Misener
Associate Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON.
Faith
F
Donald
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Nursing, University of Regina, Regina, SK.
Abigail
A
Wickson-Griffiths
Associate Professor, School of Nursing, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON.
Sharon
S
Kaasalainen
Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Director of Research and Evaluation in the Geriatric Psychiatry Service, St. Joseph's Healthcare, Hamilton, ON.
Carrie
C
McAiney
Professor of Palliative Care, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
Kevin
K
Brazil
Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON.
Alan
A
Taniguchi
Associate Professor, Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Ryerson University, Adjunct Scientist, Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael's Hospital and West Park Healthcare Centre, Toronto, ON.
Lori Schindel
LS
Martin
D002170:Canada; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000078329:Workforce