FIGURE
Despite myriad articles on how NPs positively impact patients and the health care community, the popular media sporadically throws us a rotten egg. In its November issue, Redbook magazine gives us a whole dozen.
The article "Advice docs give their own families ... lifesaving tips" aims to give readers tips on improving their health care. But one tip made me take a second look: "Don't let yourself be brushed off onto a nurse-practitioner." Not only is this statement misleading and false, it's a wake-up call to more adequately educate the public about the NP role.
Investigating the Errors
I called this statement's source, Gary Brazina, MD. He claimed that he was misquoted and referred instead to office nurses, not NPs. Little did he know, this explanation didn't make me rest easier. Later in our conversation, he told me he was upset when a friend didn't see a physician for a fracture and instead "only saw a nurse practitioner." So, Brazina, the source of the Redbook quote, wasn't exactly supportive of NPs.
The article also quoted a study, stating that "women who don't get to consult with an MD but instead speak to a nurse practitioner over the phone are much more likely to be misdiagnosed"-another false statement. Not only did Redbook get the study's source wrong, it also completely misinterpreted the study. The study examines diagnostic agreement between telephone and office management of vulvovaginal complaints. 1 The study doesn't compare physicians with NPs.
How did this happen?
What's so upsetting is that these blatant affronts to NPs were written and edited by a team of professionals from a national magazine. Would this staff dream of using disrespectful language toward people based on sexual preference or ethnicity? Then how did an unsubstantiated slam of an entire profession get by them?
We've made impressive strides in legislation toward practice autonomy, but we haven't made it clear that we won't tolerate slander from physicians. The time has come for a unified display of outrage.
Allowing physicians to claim superiority has many tragic repercussions. How can we recruit the brightest people to the nursing profession if the media promulgate the belief that nurses, regardless of education or experience, are always subservient to physicians?
Making Amends
After many calls and E-mails, I finally spoke to a Redbook editor. The feedback from many NPs helped Redbook realize its mistake, and the editor assured me that its January 2003 issue will feature letters from NPs and NP organizations protesting the erroneous advice. In addition, Redbook will publish an Editor's Note that supports NPs and expresses regret for the misstatement. To let your voice be heard, send a letter to Lori Conte, Redbook Mail, 224 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019, E-mail [email protected], or fax 212-247-1086.
Don't Vindicate, Educate!
Redbook has learned a great deal about NPs from this experience, and it's exploring ways to use our unique role to enlighten its readers and improve the magazine's health content. Its new health editor would like to hear from NPs who have such content ideas. Contact Beth Roehring at 212-581-8114 or send your ideas to the address above. We must boldly protest whenever our profession's integrity is at stake. We've worked too hard and fought too long not to.
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