Adherence to protocols by members in the Nurse Practitioner Pilot Project

The Nurse Practitioner Pilot Project (Senate Bill 198) was initiated in June 1980 in Utah. Senate Bill 198 legalized prescriptive practice for specific nurse practitioners for a three-year period. Protocols selected for guidelines in practice were required for use by pilot project members. Two evaluations were conducted studying compliance to protocols by pilot project participants. The purpose of the research was to determine if the remaining 44 nurse practitioners were adhering to protocols. General systems theory was used to describe prescriptive practices by nurse practitioners. The focal system was the relationship between the nurse and the health care needs of the cultural suprasystem. Input from the patient consists of information concerning the health problem. The nurse practitioners process information through adaptation and throughput to construct a management plan. The output of the nurse practitioner is primary care, including prescribing medications. A random chart review was conducted in the practice of each nurse practitioner. All information recorded in the client's chart to justify the appropriate diagnosis and use of medications was noted. Eight-four percent of the sample were practicing at the level required for the project participation. Nurse practitioners educated at the Bachelor's level in Adult Practice received the highest total performance scores.