An Evidence-based Path to Removing APRN Practice Barriers

Nurse practitioners (NPs) may encounter barriers to full practice authority, which limits the ability of NPs to comprehensively meet the needs of the patients they serve. Removal of practice barriers remains a high priority issue, often requiring legislative change at various levels of government. NPs in many states are facing legislative battles to eliminate practice barriers. This article describes the evidence base for health policy change and highlights some of the lessons learned from some states as they engaged legislative change to remove practice barriers and expand NP scope of practice.