Nurse practitioners (NPs) may be the solution to the physician shortage in poor and unhealthy communities.

A new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that many NPs open practices in areas with the greatest need for health care.

“There are likely many factors that play into this,” Matthew Davis, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, told HCB News. “From other research we know that NPs are also more likely to practice in rural areas, and that they provide a substantial amount of care to Americans with chronic illness.”

He added that the jobs for NPs to care for populations with higher chronic illness may be in lower income locales. In some state, NPs can practice independently from physicians, so they be more likely to establish a practice in an area of higher demand.

A team of researchers at the University of Michigan counted the amount of physicians, physician assistants, NPs and chiropractors in counties at different income and health status levels. Average life expectancy was used to determine each county’s need for health care.

They found that the availability of NPs in the least healthy counties was about 50 percent higher than in the healthiest counties. In addition, there were 30 percent more physicians and 15 percent fewer NPs in the highest income areas, compared to the lowest income areas.

The availability of physician assistants was the same as for physicians. That’s likely due to the fact that those two disciplines are often tied together through licensure. Chiropractors were also most likely to work in areas of high income and greater health.

“Some estimate that nurse practitioners make up to a quarter of the U.S. primary care workforce,” said Davis. “I don't think it's a stretch to say that NPs are already playing a major role in the U.S. health system. More work needs to me done to determine the degree to which NPs are offsetting physician shortages.”

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