EC Nursing and Healthcare

The demand for primary care providers is expected to continue to grow more rapidly with increased retirement among current providers and the COVID-19 pandemic. Full practice authority for nurse practitioners in all states can help increase access to primary care. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to assess if granting nurse practitioners full practice authority in states with current restricted or limited practice authority will improve access to primary care. The findings indicate that granting nurse practitioners full practice authority will help increase access to primary care especially in underserved populations.

Keywords: Nurse Practitioner; Full Practice Authority; Access to Primary Care; Restricted Practice

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