Prescribing patterns of gerontological nurse practitioners in the United States.

Purpose: To identify the prescribing patterns of gerontological nurse practitioners (GNPs) as reported on the Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Practice Profile. Specifically, the study examined (a) GNPs' frequency of prescribing certain categories of medications for older adults; (b) the influence of practice, education, and experience variables on prescribing practices of GNPs; and (c) the rate of prescribing inappropriate medications for older adults based on the list of medications on the modified Beers Criteria.

Data Sources: The study was part of a larger descriptive survey that examined the practice characteristics of GNPs using the Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Practice Profile.

Clinical practice characteristics of gerontological nurse practitioners: a national study.

Purpose: To determine the clinical practice characteristics of gerontological nurse practitioners (GNPs) in the United States and ascertain whether length of employment, geographic region of practice, work setting, and educational preparation influence GNPs' delivery of advanced clinical services and clinical procedures.

Data Sources: The Gerontological Nurse Practitioner Practice Profile was mailed to a stratified random sample of 1000 GNPs certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Conclusions: Despite the growing demands for GNPs, of the 472 GNPs who responded to the survey, only half were working full-time as a GNP.