Health care provider and family acceptance of a rural community-based nursing service for chronically ill children.

Health care providers' and families' overall acceptance of a community-based nursing program was assessed in relationship to their perceptions of the program nurses' accessibility, professional competence, and personal qualities. Perceptions were measured by questionnaires completed by 139 health care providers and 140 families. Overall, providers indicated that the program has been of benefit to both the children it serves and the medical community. The majority of families felt that the nurses were helpful to them despite a few complaints related to poor availability.