Do State Restrictions on Advanced Practice Registered Nurses Impact Patient Outcomes for Hypertension and Diabetes Control?

The Institute of Medicine recommends that nurses practice to the full extent of their education and training, yet, state regulations continue to limit the scope of practice for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). One reason is the unproven belief that patient outcomes will be inferior if APRNs practice without regulations. This study examined whether the absence of restrictions on APRNs results in inferior outcomes for patients with hypertension or diabetes. We used publicly available data for patients seen in Federally Qualified Community Health Centers during 2013 in 6 states with the most restrictions and in 10 states with the least restrictions.