Advancement of Research on Nurse Practitioners (ARNP): Setting a Research Agenda

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Healthcare systems globally face pressures to meet the increasing demand for primary care services, particularly in rural and socio-economically deprived areas due to aging populations and chronic disease burdens. Many countries, including the United States (U.S.), are seeking innovative healthcare workforce solutions to meet this demand. One potential solution is the development of the nurse practitioner (NP) workforce. By 2025, an additional 52,000 physicians will be needed to meet the primary care demand in the U.S. The growing NP workforce could help fill this need as their numbers will double between 2008 and 2025, and NPs will comprise 27% of all primary care providers by 2025. Studies consistently show NPs deliver high quality, safe care to patients and achieve optimal patient outcomes. Furthermore, NP care also increases access to care for racial and ethnic minorities residing in rural and underserved areas as NPs disproportionally care for these populations (AHRQ Priority Populations). Thus, many stakeholders recommend optimal use of NPs in primary care. Yet, many barriers at the federal, state, and organizational levels hamper NP workforce, practice, and their ability to deliver care, which are not well-explored or studied. Lack of evidence prevents policymakers', administrators', and clinicians' (AHRQ stakeholders) abilities to take actions to eliminate barriers and optimally utilize NP workforce to promote safe care delivery. The purpose of this research development conference grant is to convene national and international experts to develop a comprehensive research agenda to define challenges affecting NP workforce, practice, and NPs' ability to deliver primary care and identify methodologies to study them. We will convene a 1.5 day conference, Advancement of Research on Nurse Practitioners (ARNP), consisting of researchers, leaders, clinicians, and policymakers to: Aim 1. Identify barriers and facilitators affecting NP workforce, practice, and their ability to deliver safe primary care both in the U.S. and globally. Aim 2. Identify best strategies and methods to study these barriers and facilitators. Aim 3. Develop a comprehensive research agenda to produce evidence to eliminate barriers and promote facilitators to NP practice in primary care. ARNP will be held at Columbia University School of Nursing in New York, NY and led by nationally recognized health services researchers (Chair: Dr. Lusine Poghosyan, Co-Chair: Dr. Grant Martsolf) who brought together national and international interdisciplinary experts in the planning committee. The expected product is a research agenda to enhance NP workforce in the U.S., which will be shared with nationally relevant organizations. To evaluate ARNP's success, both summative and formative evaluations will be completed. ARNP's aims are consistent with AHRQ's mission of producing evidence to improve the safety and quality of health care. ARNP can provide an important platform for advancing health services research, developing collaborative research projects between the U.S. and the international community, and enhancing knowledge sharing among a broader audience of interdisciplinary experts.