The role of Advanced Practice Nursing (APN)

The role of Advanced Practice Nursing (APN) has changed dramatically in recent years. Currently, the Unite States (U.S.) health care is focusing on delivering a cost -effective health care to all patients. In the last decades, there were many efforts to control health care over spending in the U.S. One of such efforts is to focus on applying proven principles of evidence-based practice and cost-effectiveness to find the least expensive way to produce a specific clinical service of acceptable quality (Bauer, 2010). The vast changes in health care system, such as cost, need for high productivity, limitation on reimbursement, and the inadequacy on access have made APNs to think in a way where they most fit to provide independent care for children and adults of all ages while focusing on providing high quality and preventative health care services.

The main focus of APNs are patient education, disease management, treatment, illness prevention, and health promotion. There is a strong support within the education for the essential role of advanced practitioners. Nurse practitioners are highly qualified nurses with an enhanced level of authority to prescribe medication, refer patients and order diagnostic tests (ICN Nurse Practitioner/Advanced Practice Nursing Network 2013). Researchers have predicted that by 2015 primary care will be provided providers other than physicians , including Nurse practitioners (NPs) (Poghosyan, Lucero, Rauch, & Berkowitz, 2012).

Urinary Incontinence (UI) is a prevalent medical problem in the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) estimates that about 25 percent of middle aged and postmenopausal women and about 75 percent of older women in nursing homes suffer from some form of UI...

... middle of paper ...

...audience. The NPs were able to get a good number of attendees on the urinary continence screening / awareness day by advertising on the hospital website, newspaper, and flyers that were provided to the community facilities, such as other Northwest community hospital related facilities, libraries , and other community centers. Word of mouth would be another way to promote the service.

Conclusion

Marketing is an ongoing process. The NPs need to revisit the marketing plan often to ensure the U I service is compatible and able to provide all the services that clinic was intended to provide in a cost-effective and quality care manner. Starting a independent clinic would be challenging for the novice NP; but with right partnership, careful implementation of the plan, frequent evaluation of the services and commitment, it could be satisfying and rewarding endeavor.