Abstract
Due to the increased need for nurse practitioners to provide primary health care and the current national emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention, nurse practitioners can help solve the health care delivery dilemma. The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the level of satisfaction for patients who received care by a nurse practitioner. Orem's Nursing Systems Theory was utilized to guide the study. The research questions were is there a difference in the perception of patient satisfaction when comparing nurse practitioners and physicians as health care providers? and do demographic variables correlate to patient use of a nurse practitioner? The sample (N = 150) included 50 subjects from nurse practitioner solo practices, 50 subjects from joint practices, and 50 subjects from physician solo practices. The Kviz Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire and the McMahan Survey were utilized to gather data among the groups. The level of satisfaction (p = .00) indicated patients were significantly more satisfied when the nurse practitioner was the primary care provider. This researcher concluded that patients receiving care in the nurse practitioner solo practice were more satisfied with the care they received than in either other practice arrangement. Additionally women were more apt to return to their health care provider regardless of practice setting. Also, this researcher concluded that women were satisfied with care they received from a female nurse practitioner. One important nursing implication derived from this research is that since women are more satisfied with services provided by female caregivers, more women health curricula should be included in nurse practitioner programs. The researcher recommends that a replication of this study be done using a larger sample size in a more diverse geographic area.
Degree
Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)
Department
Graduate Nursing
Degree Date
8-1-1995
Publication Number
27919810
First Advisor
Dr. Mary Patricia Curtis
Second Advisor
Dr. Linda Sullivan
Third Advisor
Tina Usey
Document Type
Thesis
Recommended Citation
McMahen, Diane, "Patient Satisfaction With The Nurse Practitioner" (1995). MSN Research Projects. 69.
https://athenacommons.muw.edu/msn-projects/69