Advanced practice nursing in France: Social capital assessment

France is in the initial stage of development of the advanced practice nursing role. Social capital is essential to move this development forward, as evidenced by similar global movements resulting in the establishment of the advanced practice role of nurses. A pilot project examined the general response of French citizens (social capital) to the idea of advanced nursing practice in their country. The overwhelming majority of participants were in support of advanced nursing practice, with 90% of the participants answering "Yes" to the question "Would you trust and feel safe having a Nurse Practitioner (APRN) provide your primary care instead of a physician?" Social capital is needed in many areas of health care and may be enhanced by strong social capital within the citizenry.