The psychiatric advanced practice nurse with prescriptive authority: Role development, practice issues, and outcomes measurement

Within the rapidly changing health care system, there is an increased need for professionals who can provide cost-effective primary health care for mentally ill patients. This article discusses the role of the Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) with Prescriptive Authority as a cost-effective, high-quality component of comprehensive mental health care delivery. Historical aspects of the development of the Nurse Practitioner (NP) role are discussed, as well as issues specific to the role in psychiatric nursing. The implementation of this role at Rochester is described, followed by recommendations for studying the impact of the Psychiatric NP on care delivery, including process and outcome variables.