Definition and Regulation of Nursing Practice: An Historical Survey

Abstract

The definition and regulation of nursing practice are issues of growing national interest. A variety of factors, including rising health care costs and consumer awareness, have combined to catalyze changes in health care delivery, with an increasing emphasis on disease prevention and cost-effectiveness. These goals have necessarily focused attention on the respective roles of non-physicians—most prominently, nurses—as providers of lower cost, quality health care. In a climate of professional and economic competition, state legislatures, state nursing boards, courts, and professional nursing organizations are engaged in a process of changing, adapting, or interpreting existing nursing practice laws to meet the needs of the changing health care system.This article reviews the history and evolution of nursing practice legislation, examines the present stage in its development, and highlights some important issues affecting contemporary nursing practice acts.