Nurse practitioners and male reproductive health in Virginia: Are healthy people 2020 objectives being addressed?

Although the Healthy People initiative began in 1979, Healthy People 2020 if the first to contain multiple objectives related to male reproductive health (MRH) for ages 15-44 years with operational definitions, baseline data and target measures. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are crucial providers for reproductive health services yet it is unknown if they are meeting these Healthy People 2020 objectives. Obstacles to implementing and providing MRH by NPs in Virginia are also unknown. There were two purposes to this nonexperimental descriptive prospective study with cross sectional data collection: to determine if nurse practitioners in Virginia are providing male reproductive health to meet Healthy People 2020 objectives and to explore potential obstacles as perceived by nurse practitioners in implementing and providing male reproductive health in their practice. Both purposes examined NP age, gender, race, years in practice, credentialing, work setting, and geographic setting (rural, urban or suburban). Data was obtained by an anonymous questionnaire. Implications include awareness of MRH objectives by NPs and increased attention to obstacles affecting the delivery of appropriate MRH services. Not only will males receiving care have potential for improved health but female reproductive health, pregnancy outcomes, the number of intended pregnancies and communicable disease may be impacted. This will have a positive socioeconomic effect not only on individuals but families, communities and the state as a whole.