Gerontological Nurse Practitioners

Paper Summary:

The paper explains that, with the doubling of the number of people age 85 years and older by 2040, the majority of families in the United States, at one time or another, will experience the devastating effects of chronic long-term illness. The author points out that gerontological nurse practitioners (GNP) are part of a growing field of highly trained paramedical personnel who provide clinical services to patients under the supervision of a physician and share with physicians the direct responsibility for patient care. The paper relates that GNP serves in the area of home health nursing, which is an illness-oriented service giving continuous care to the patient, and community health nursing, which is aggregate- focused, emphasizing wellness, health promotion, and primary prevention.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Definitions
Nurse Practitioner
Gerontological
Delineation of the Scope of Practice
Factors Facilitating and Constraining Role Development In Practice
Facilitating Factors
Obstacles
Aspects of Interdisciplinary/Multidisciplinary Collaboration and Consultation
Potential Practice Settings
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Webster's (2003) defines gerontology as "the comprehensive study of aging and the problems of the aged." In many developed countries the increase in the relative size of the elderly, and more particularly the very old, population has been perceived as an issue presenting major challenges to governments, service providers, and society as a whole. In addition, the aging process in the individual is associated with declines in the homeostatic mechanisms that bring about adaptive responses to environmental challenges, and all indicators of health status, including service use, show strong associations with age According to Small (1994), as the term is applied specifically to nursing home care, a gerontological nurse practitioner should be prepared by virtue of both education and experience to focus on a particular age group such as older persons (the gerontological nurse practitioner) or, by contrast, on the life span (the family nurse practitioner)."

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