Outpatient community clinic patients' perceptions regarding nurse practitioner services.

Perceptions and comfort levels toward nurse practitioner services were measured by questionnaire responses to patients of community clinics in the University of Utah Health Science Center system. This research was organized in a pre-experimental design and used purposive sampling techniques to acquire a sample that was roughly half nurse practitioner patients and half physician patients. Ninety-one questionnaires were completed in the waiting rooms of the clinics while patients waited for their appointments. Questions were based on the four Ps of marketing: (a) product, (b) price, (c) placement, and (d) promotion. Findings included a significant relationship between patients claiming to be familiar with nurse practitioner services and patients' comfort level toward those services. Nurse practitioner services found to be uncomfortable by the respondents were (a) prescribing medication for depression, (b) prescribing narcotics, and (c) managing musculoskeletal injures. The use of marketing to enhance the public's perception of nurse practitioner services was also discussed.