Primary care work environment affects nurse practitioners

(HealthDay)—The organizational climate in primary care settings influences the professional practice of nurse practitioners (NPs), according to research published in the November issue of the Journal of Professional Nursing.

Lusine Poghosyan, Ph.D., of Columbia University in New York City, and colleagues interviewed 16 NPs practicing in primary care settings to explore the domains of organizational climate that influence their professional practice.

The researchers confirmed three previously identified themes that were important in the work environment of NPs in primary care settings: NP-physician relations; independent practice and autonomy; and professional visibility. In the interviews, NPs described collegial relations with physicians, difficulties in establishing independent practice, and lack of recognition of their contributions to patient care. Two new themes were identified: organizational support and resources and NP-administration relations. NPs also reported lack of support and suboptimal relations with administration.

"Awareness about these domains is necessary to help administrators, researchers, and policy makers to improve working conditions for NPs in primary care settings, promote the expansion of NP workforce to meet the demand for care, and address quality-of-care issues," the authors write.