Abstract

Few studies have been done that examine the acceptance of nurse practitioners as providers of care by persons infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of satisfaction with care as experienced by the HIV-infected client in an outpatient setting who has received care from both nurse practitioners and physicians. The Health Belief Model (HBM) developed by Rosenstock, Hochbaum, and Kegeles in the 1950s, and specifically the concept of self-efficacy, was chosen as the conceptual framework for this study. In this descriptive study the null hypothesis examined was there will be no difference in the level of satisfaction with care by the HIV-infected client who has received care from both a nurse practitioner and a physician. The setting for this study was a large outpatient HIV adult primary care clinic in Southeastern Louisiana. The sample consisted of a convenience sample (N = 33) of the accessible population who met the criterion of having seen both a nurse practitioner and a physician on at least two separate occasions during the last 3 years. VI Risser's Patient Satisfaction Instrument (PSI) which measures satisfaction with nurses and nursing care, was adapted for use in this comparative study. The instrument was administered by clinic nurses who had been trained in its administration. Confidentiality was assured for the subjects. Data analysis was effected by descriptive statistics employing the t test to examine the hypothesis. No significant difference was found in the level of satisfaction by the subjects between the two types of providers (p = .853). The results of this study provide further support for the acceptance of nurse practitioners as health care providers by clients and, in this instance as providers to persons infected with HIV. Further research should be conducted with larger samples of the target population and in other geographic locales to determine the generalization of the findings.

Degree

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Department

Graduate Nursing

Degree Date

8-1-1992

Publication Number

27919874

First Advisor

Naucey Hiel

Document Type

Thesis

Included in

Nursing Commons

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