Early views of nurse practitioners: a Medline search.

Nurses have been functioning in expanded roles as nurse practitioners (NPs) since 1965. The role has been characterized by controversy regarding economics, scope of practice, level of independence, accountability, and training since its inception. This article examines the response of the medical community to NPs during the first 15 years of their development. The medical literature from 1967 through 1982 was examined through a Medline search to ascertain the issues, attitudes, and barriers to practice that evolved as a foundation for understanding the present response of medicine to NPs.