Provision of quality health services in rural communities is a challenge, but crucial to ensure equity of health outcomes for community members. Nurse practitioners (NPs) are highly educated, clinically skilled and proven in their ability to augment rural health services. NP-led models of care demonstrate a transparent, reliable service delivering consistent and safe health care that is equitable and efficient for rural communities.

Many women are unaware of the importance of preconception health and accessing preconception care. This research explored women’s and health professionals’ perspectives of preconception care and the potential role of practice nurses to provide support in this area. Expanding the role of practice nurses to provide preconception care is acceptable to women and health professionals in primary care. Additional work is required to upskill practice nurses and overcome barriers to the provision of preconception care in primary care.

Little is known about the New Zealand general practice nursing workforce, yet it is pivotal to the delivery of effective care in this complex environment. Analysis of available data suggests it is an aging workforce with a lack of diversity, but there is also evidence of nurses enthusiastically embracing primary health care principles and broadening their scope. Greater national effort to understand and sustain the workforce is required to nurture this enthusiasm and to help improve health outcomes.

General practice nurses undertake chronic disease management and discuss lifestyle risk reduction with patients. However, a concerted approach is required to support this practice. Prioritising time, funding, education, collaborative relationships and optimising the capacity for general practice nurses to work to their full scope of practice are necessary to support communication related to lifestyle risk reduction.

General practice nurses (GPN) are ideally placed to assist GPs and patients with chlamydia testing and management in general practice. This study demonstrates that GPNs are keen to participate in training and can support chlamydia testing when they undertake a chlamydia education and training session. However, testing is not sustained after a 2-year period, suggesting repeat training is required at regular intervals.

MCH nurses have been conducting family violence screening since 2009, yet these practices are poorly researched and understood. Only half the women attending MCH services are screened at the 4-week recommended visit. Asking rates are lower in rural areas. Disclosures and referrals are low, indicating significant barriers for nurses to address and women to discuss abuse in this setting. If sustainable family violence practices are to be achieved, MCH nurses require additional system support including ongoing family violence training.

Transition from an acute hospital setting to the community is challenging for all nurses. In this study, we found that orientation is critical to successful transition and that individually tailored orientation and ongoing staff development programs may improve staff retention.

Investigating community-based primary health care models of antenatal care is important for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in rural and remote areas. This study evaluated the impact of a community midwifery-led antenatal program in a remote Western Australian setting, with findings highlighting factors enabling program staff and community agencies to work in culturally safe partnerships with clients. These qualities help build meaningful and sustainable antenatal strategies, with midwifery primary health care competencies viewed as a strong enabling factor.

Remote Area Nurses provide all aspects of care for communities including acute care and health promotion. However, some nurses question whether their priorities and actions are in line with that of communities. This paper discusses nurses concerns about whether their actions are best practice or paternalistic.