Family nurse practitioners in primary care: a study of practice and patients.

In this nationwide study 8,905 patients were seen by 356 family nurse practitioners (FNPs) during February through April 1977. The ratio of white to black and white to "other" patients was six to one. Racial minorities were seen significantly more often than were whites in public clinics supported predominantly by public tax monies. The smallest number of patients seen was in the "elderly" age group, 65 and over. Elderly patients were located to a greater extent in the South and they used both private and public clinics. The number of infants and children seen was greater in the Western region and in semi-urban areas. The predominant patient problems seen by FNPs were Prevention/Health Supervision and Respiratory. Although there were similarities between top ranking primary care problems seen by FNPs in this study compared with primary care physicians in other studies, proportionately more FNP patient contacts were for Prevention/Health Supervision and the patients tended to be in the younger age group.