Demonstrating the value of the advanced practice nurse: an evaluation model

Alignment of the International Council of Nurses Advanced Practice Nursing Guideline Characteristics With Conceptual Frameworks: A Scoping Review

Background: During the past 50 years, numerous conceptual frameworks have been used to describe and evaluate advanced practice nursing (APN) roles and outcomes. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) released an updated description of APN characteristics intersecting with currently utilized frameworks allows for assessing relevance to practice. Purpose: The review aimed to examine the alignment of established and commonly used conceptual frameworks related to advanced practice roles with the ICN APN guidelines characteristics. This will help identify a globally relevant framework for APN roles. Method: PubMed, Cumulative Index in Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and ProQuest Central databases were searched using terms that characterize APN and conceptual frameworks. To address currency and relevance of frameworks was applied to discovered frameworks identifying and reviewing in detail those which were cited more than 15 times during the last five years. Results: This search found over 1107 publications. Of these, nine conceptual frameworks met all inclusion criteria. The frameworks captured some of the characteristics described by the ICN. Eight addressed all categories but in a limited fashion. Implications for Practice: Reviewing recently and frequently cited frameworks can inform the applicability in the interested readers, own nursing practice. This review not only does this but also examines the global uptake and the relationship to international standards of APN to provide additional information on the frameworks' reach and worldwide transferability. However, further research examining the relevance of these frameworks in low- and lower-middle-income countries is needed to understand their importance.

Advanced Nursing Practice in Austria under consideration of outcome measurement

BACKGROUND

Internationally, Advanced Practice Nurses (APN) are associated with improvements when measuring results in health care. Advanced Nursing Practice (ANP) refers to an extended nursing care with the aim of meeting the changing conditions in health care systems by providing evidence-based practice. APN outcomes are the endpoints of nursing interventions based on clinical experience, scientific knowledge, and practical skills. Due to the challenges in health care systems, Advanced Practice Nurses have become well established internationally in various fields.

PROBLEM

In Austria, the first nurses are currently trained in Advanced Nursing Practice on a master's level according to the International Council of Nurses core curriculum (ICN). However, national implementation and evaluation strategies are still missing.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this short report is (i) to show the current situation of APNs in Austria, and (ii) to underline the importance of measuring APN outcomes in implementing this role for future developments in health care.

METHOD

A literature search was conducted in CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health), PubMed, and the Cochrane Library in the period 09/2019 to 01/2020.

RESULTS

With the help of APNs and coordinated, holistic, patient-centered care, a higher quality of care for different patient groups is clearly evident. The cost-effectiveness and the positive experience of both patients and nursing staff have been demonstrated in international studies. In particular, the guidance and educational skills of APNs have been shown to improve health outcomes in vulnerable population groups.

CONCLUSION

With regard to the implementation of APNs in the health care system, more focus is needed on the measurement of outcomes in nursing research. Outcome research has been shown to help identify the unique effect of APNs in patient care and to highlight the health-related improvements through Advanced Nursing Practice for health policy and further developments in the health care system.

Framework for Evaluating the Impact of Advanced Practice Nursing Roles

PURPOSE

To address the gap in evidence-based information required to support the development of advanced practice nursing (APN) roles in Switzerland, stakeholders identified the need for guidance to generate strategic evaluation data. This article describes an evaluation framework developed to inform decisions about the effective utilization of APN roles across the country.

APPROACH

A participatory approach was used by an international group of stakeholders. Published literature and an evidenced-based framework for introducing APN roles were analyzed and applied to define the purpose, target audiences, and essential elements of the evaluation framework. Through subsequent meetings and review by an expert panel, the framework was developed and refined.

FINDINGS

A framework to evaluate different types of APN roles as they evolve to meet dynamic population health, practice setting, and health system needs was created. It includes a matrix of key concepts to guide evaluations across three stages of APN role development: introduction, implementation, and long-term sustainability. For each stage, evaluation objectives and questions examining APN role structures, processes, and outcomes from different perspectives (e.g., patients, providers, managers, policy-makers) were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

A practical, robust framework based on well-established evaluation concepts and current understanding of APN roles can be used to conduct systematic evaluations.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

The evaluation framework is sufficiently generic to allow application in developed countries globally, both for evaluation as well as research purposes.

Revisiting the evaluation of clinical practice

The evaluation of patient care is an ongoing process that is aimed at improving clinical outcomes, as well as advancing clinical practice. However, a number of elements need to be taken into account when evaluating clinical practice, including social, structural and process factors. Consideration of these factors, together with comprehensive and holistic assessment, clinical expertise, reflective thinking, and valid and reliable instrumentation, will allow practitioners to better evaluate clinical care, and in effect, improve client outcomes.

Advanced practice nursing outcomes: a review of selected empirical literature

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES

To review selected empirical literature examining outcomes of advanced practice nursing with a specific focus on the work of oncology advanced practice nurses (APNs).

DATA SOURCES

Published articles (descriptive and data-based) and books.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Well-designed, methodologically sound investigations offer clear and compelling evidence that APNs are effective in improving outcomes in diverse populations and settings. Data on outcomes of oncology APNs are more limited but do demonstrate statistically significant improvements in clinical outcomes in the homecare and ambulatory settings. The increase in oncology APNs and the evolution of viable roles for oncology APNs across cancer practice settings offer opportunities to further assess the outcomes of advanced practice nursing.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding the effects of oncology advanced practice nursing on clinical, cost, and satisfaction outcomes is critical. These data will help to explain how APNs can be used most effectively in the healthcare system to ensure the delivery of quality cancer care.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Assessing the outcomes of advanced practice nursing care has been identified as a priority by the Oncology Nursing Society. Expansion of APN roles in oncology creates myriad opportunities to investigate this issue. APNs should be cognizant of the work that has been done in this area and use this knowledge as a foundation from which to launch further investigations.

Knowing the nurse practitioner: dominant discourses shaping our horizons

The purpose of this paper is to examine the various discourses, particularly the dominant instrumental and economic discourses that have brought the phenomena of the nurse practitioner (NP) into being. It is proposed that NPs have been constituted as an object of nature and therefore understood metaphorically as a tool or instrument within the health care system to be used efficiently and effectively. Heidegger's philosophical analysis of the question concerning technology is used to argue that our current ways of knowing the NP through these discourses, with their emphasis on calculative logic, have resulted from our modern view of the essence of technology. It is also argued that there is now a need to shape our horizons concerning the NP in new and different ways. There is a need to engage in dialogical forms of research in order to evoke the richness and depth of what it means to be an NP, that is, to reveal the other modes of expression by which we define ourselves, understand others and nursing.

Determinants in the development of advanced nursing practice: a case study of primary-care settings in Hong Kong

Different factors have been shown to influence the development of models of advanced nursing practice (ANP) in primary-care settings. Although ANP is being developed in hospitals in Hong Kong, China, it remains undeveloped in primary care and little is known about the factors determining the development of such a model. The aims of the present study were to investigate the contribution of different models of nursing practice to the care provided in primary-care settings in Hong Kong, and to examine the determinants influencing the development of a model of ANP in such settings. A multiple case study design was selected using both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. Sampling methods reflected the population groups and stage of the case study. Sampling included a total population of 41 nurses from whom a secondary volunteer sample was drawn for face-to-face interviews. In each case study, a convenience sample of 70 patients were recruited, from whom 10 were selected purposively for a semi-structured telephone interview. An opportunistic sample of healthcare professionals was also selected. The within-case and cross-case analysis demonstrated four major determinants influencing the development of ANP: (1) current models of nursing practice; (2) the use of skills mix; (3) the perceived contribution of ANP to patient care; and (4) patients' expectations of care. The level of autonomy of individual nurses was considered particularly important. These determinants were used to develop a model of ANP for a primary-care setting. In conclusion, although the findings highlight the complexity determining the development and implementation of ANP in primary care, the proposed model suggests that definitions of advanced practice are appropriate to a range of practice models and cultural settings. However, the findings highlight the importance of assessing the effectiveness of such models in terms of cost and long-term patient outcomes.

A framework for the introduction and evaluation of advanced practice nursing roles

AIM

This paper describes a participatory, evidence-based, patient-focused process for advanced practice nursing (APN) role development, implementation, and evaluation (PEPPA framework).

BACKGROUND

Despite the growing demand for advanced practice nurses, there are limited data to guide the successful implementation and optimal utilization of these roles. The participatory, evidence-based, patient-focused process, for guiding the development, implementation, and evaluation of advanced practice nursing (PEPPA) framework is an adaptation of two existing frameworks and is designed to overcome role implementation barriers through knowledge and understanding of APN roles and environments. The principles of participatory action research directed the construction of the new framework.

CONCLUSIONS

The process for implementing and evaluating APN roles is as complex and dynamic as the roles themselves. The PEPPA framework is shaped by the underlying principles and values consistent with APN, namely, a focus on addressing patient health needs through the delivery of coordinated care and collaborative relationships among health care providers and systems. Engaging environmental stakeholders as participants in the process provides opportunity to identify the need and shared goals for a clearly defined APN role. The process promotes increased understanding of APN roles and optimal use of the broad range of APN knowledge, skills, and expertise in all role domains and scope of practice. The steps for planning and implementation are designed to create environments to support APN role development and long-term integration within health care systems. The goal-directed and outcome-based process also provides the basis for prospective ongoing evaluation and improvement of both the role and delivery of health care services.

Using outcomes research to validate the advanced practice nursing role administratively

The health care system has been forced to respond to the demand for changes in care provision. The changes have produced an opportunity for APNs to become a partner in care in the ICU. With the new opportunities APNs have been challenged to quantify the quality and fiscal effectiveness of their practices in the critical care arena. Administrators have a vested interest in the success of the organization, which includes the concepts of fiscal viability and quality care and patient and family satisfaction. There are data available to help formulate the rational argument for the inclusion of APNs in critical care. By using the data APNs can prove that their presence has a positive impact on the quality and financial outcomes of care. APNs can have a positive impact on the organization in all of the ways that are important to the administration. They can transform the current practice and improve the quality of the care. In presenting the outcome data of the APN role to administrators, APNs can be successful in gaining support for their role. APNs are vital components of the healthcare system and gaining recognition of the true value of the role is key to ensuring the ability of APNs to meet today's healthcare challenges for the improvement of patient care.

Comprehensive trauma patient care by nonphysician providers

Nonphysician providers are being increasingly used to care for trauma patients. As these complex patients recover, they require meticulous medical management and time-consuming psychosocial care. A retrospective evaluation of a unique patient care service staffed by nonphysician providers is presented. The Intermediate Care Service is designed to facilitate the management and long-term placement of trauma patients who no longer require intensive care while recovering from their injuries. The new diagnoses, physician order changes, and disposition of 93 patients cared for during a 6-month period are described. Most patients were admitted with neurologic injury. The most common new diagnosis was constipation; the most frequent new orders related to medications, including bowel management, and rehabilitation consultations. All patients were discharged from the hospital. The Intermediate Care Service represents a unique and valuable model for the collaborative management of complex trauma patients.

Patient problems and advanced practice nurse interventions during transitional care

This study is a secondary analysis of patient records written by advanced practice nurses (APNs) as they provided discharge planning and 4 weeks of home follow-up to elderly patients hospitalized with common medical and surgical conditions. The purposes of this study were to examine the problems experienced by elders who were hospitalized and discharged to home, the interventions used by APNs as they cared for these patients, and the linkages between patient problems and APN interventions. Care logs written by the APNs to document the patient problems and nursing interventions were content analyzed and coded using the Problem Classification Scheme and Intervention Scheme of the Omaha System. The results provided a description of the 10 most frequent problems experienced by the patients linked with the APN's interventions. The study provides a description of the nature and complexity of patient problems as they transition from hospital to home and increases our understanding of the contribution of APNs to the care of elders.

Measuring advanced practice nursing outcomes

The measurement of outcomes has become an important component of evaluating health care. Although it is clear that measuring outcomes is necessary to establish the effectiveness of advanced practicing nursing, which outcome measures to use and how to conduct an effective outcomes assessment remain unclear. The purpose of this article is to present an overview of advanced practice nursing outcomes research, review outcome measures important to advanced practice nurses (APNs), and discuss sources of outcome measures and instruments that can be used by APNs to establish the effectiveness of the role.