Care of nursing home residents by advanced practice nurses. A review of the literature.

The complexity of care in nursing homes has steadily increased during the past several years. Many nursing homes now provide care for both short-stay and long-stay patients who range in age from young to very old. At the same time, there has been a shortage of primary care physicians to provide care while nursing homes have been under intense scrutiny and pressure to improve the quality of care provided. Advanced practice nurses (APNs) are increasingly evident members of the nursing home workforce, providing both primary care to individual residents in collaboration with physicians and consultative services to nursing homes. This article reviews the research that documents the relationship between APNs and improved quality of care and begins a discussion of what constitutes APN best practices in the nursing home setting.