Nurses are interested in spending more time addressing NCD prevention, but workload, time constraints and their perception towards the job of nursing hinder them from achieving their potential. Unhealthy lifestyle choices are a risk factor for NCDs; through awareness and education, positive behaviour change is possible. Research has demonstrated that nurses are effective at supporting individuals to make behaviour change, administering disease management programmes and enabling self-care as well as self-management. Practice environment issues that prevent nurses from fully reaching their potential in addressing the NCD crisis need to be addressed.

There is agreement across the surveyed countries regarding the existence of high workloads that are contributing to time constraints and the belief that patient outcomes are significantly impacted. These conditions contribute to nurses' lack of firm commitment to their profession. The systemic changes required to deliver quality health care to patients require these challenges to be addressed.

Background and purpose Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation, pain, joint stiffness, and progressive joint destruction. An increased demand for rheumatology healthcare professionals is anticipated in coming years; utilizing more nurse practitioners (NPs) in rheumatology may help meet this demand, and improve early detection and diagnosis of RA. Methods The American Association of Nurse Practitioners surveyed, via e‐mail, members who were working in primary care settings to understand their educational and professional needs to help manage their patients with RA. Respondents were surveyed about their NP certifications, patient panel, information received from rheumatologists on shared patients, RA tools or resources that would be helpful, confidence in diagnosing and managing patients with RA, interest in learning about particular topics regarding RA medications, and preferences for exchanging educational information with their professional colleagues. Conclusions The results from this survey indicate that the role of NPs in managing RA could be optimized by improved communication with treating rheumatologists, access to educational tools and resources, and further education and training in the management of RA. Implications for practice NPs in primary care can fill a resource gap and provide access to health care for patients with RA.

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