The impact of expanding the numbers of clinical nurse specialists in cancer care: a United Kingdom case study

In the last few years there has been an increase in the number of clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) working in cancer care throughout the UK. This paper examines the issues raised by the proliferation of site-specific cancer CNS posts, developed to give a 'nursing lead' for a particular tumour type. The issues common to all CNS posts are exacerbated when a number of specialists are involved in the cancer journey, causing potential fragmentation and confusion. Key issues need to be addressed if the role is to remain credible, and ensure clarity for patients and the multiprofessional team. These include role clarification, sensitive integration, interface with other cancer CNSs and the multiprofessional team, evaluation, cost, education and training, recruitment and succession planning and the 'career cul-de-sac'. Cancer nursing's response to these challenges will set the professional agenda for education, training and future models of service delivery.     

Clinical nurse specialists as entrepreneurs: constrained or liberated

Aims. This qualitative study explored the experiences of two groups of clinical nurse specialists – continence advisors and tissue viability nurses – working in primary care in the UK. In particular, the study focused on how clinical nurse specialists’ relationships with other health‐care professionals had an impact on their role. Background. Clinical nurse specialists are recognized worldwide as having expertise in a given field, which they use to develop the practice of others. Additionally, clinical nurse specialists share many of the characteristics of entrepreneurs, which they use to develop services related to their speciality. However, little research has been conducted in relation to clinical nurse specialists’ experiences as they attempt to diversify nursing practice. Design/methods. An ethnographic approach was adopted comprising many elements of Glaserian grounded theory. Data were collected via participant observation and face‐to‐face interviews with 22 clinical nurse specialists. Findings. Services provided by clinical nurse specialists were not static, clinical nurse specialists being the main drivers for service developments. However, clinical nurse specialists encountered difficulties when introducing new ideas. Given their role as advisors, clinical nurse specialists lacked authority to bring about change and were dependent on a number of mechanisms to bring about change, including ‘cultivating relationships’ with more powerful others, most notably the speciality consultant. Conclusions. The UK government has pledged to ‘liberate the talents of nurses’ so that their skills can be used to progress patient services. This study highlights the fact that a lack of collaborative working practices between health‐care professionals led to clinical nurse specialists being constrained. Relevance to clinical practice. Health‐care organizations need to provide an environment in which the entrepreneurial skills of clinical nurse specialists may be capitalized on. In the absence of an outlet for their ideas regarding service developments, clinical nurse specialists may remain dependent on the mechanisms witnessed in this study for some time.     

Challenges and leadership strategies for managers of nurse practitioners

AIM: The aim of this paper is to report on the findings from our research into the recent introduction of nurse practitioners in Alberta, Canada. Through an organizational research perspective, we identify the critical role of health care managers in developing a sustainable nurse practitioner role. BACKGROUND: Previous literature has focused on nurse practitioners themselves as the key factor in their integration into the health care system. Although they are qualified and organizationally well placed, managers of nurse practitioners have been overlooked as a critical part of implementation strategies. KEY ISSUES: We interviewed 25 nurse practitioners and seven of their managers. Through our data analysis we identified three major challenges for managers: (1) clarifying the reallocation of tasks; (2) managing altered working relationships within the team; (3) continuing to manage the team in an evolving situation. Associated with these challenges, we propose leadership strategies that managers may find useful as they work through the consequences of introducing the nurse practitioner role. These strategies are: * encourage all team members to sort out 'who does what'; * ensure that task reallocation preserves job motivating properties; * give consideration to how tasks have been allocated when issues identified as 'personal conflict' arise; * pay attention to all perspectives of the working relationships within the team; * facilitate positive relationships between team members; * lead from a 'balcony' perspective; * work with the team to develop goals that are not over focused on the nurse practitioner; * regularly share with other managers the experiences and lessons learned in introducing nurse practitioners. CONCLUSION: For managers to be most effective, they need to address three challenges that are of a managerial, not clinical, nature. By implementing specific leadership strategies, managers of nurse practitioners can facilitate the introduction of the new role and improve its sustainability in health organizations.     

Impact of nurse prescribing: a qualitative study

AIM: This paper is a report of an investigation of the impact of prescribing on a group of recently qualified nurse prescribers in the United Kingdom. BACKGROUND: The creation of advanced nursing roles, and specific skills such as nurse prescribing, has resulted in nurses taking on roles that have traditionally been associated with doctors. The non-doctor prescribing initiative is continually developing and many nurses are now able to prescribe independently from almost the same range of medicines as doctors. Despite the advantages that appear to stem from nurses prescribing, some nurse researchers have been cautious about the impact that prescribing may have on the nursing profession. METHOD: Interviews were conducted during 2005 and 2006 with 45 nurse prescribers. All nurses had successfully qualified and registered as prescribers. Interviews were analysed thematically in line with the principles of grounded theory. FINDINGS: Prescribing allows nurses to overcome difficulties in the healthcare system that previously delayed patients' access to medicines. Prescribing is viewed as more than an 'add on' to current roles, it complements many aspects of nursing and integrates previously diffuse aspects of the nursing role. This enables nurses to adopt a more holistic approach to patient care and prescribing. Prescribing has the potential to increase job satisfaction and autonomous working, with the result that nurses are more likely to involve patients in decision-making about their care. CONCLUSIONS: Prescribing enhances nurses' knowledge about medication and increases their confidence to engage in prescribing decisions across the healthcare team. Nurse prescribing has the potential to improve service-user care, enhance collaboration and widen discussions about medicines. However, team members need to be prepared for the impact nurse prescribing could have on the dynamics of the multidisciplinary team. Preparatory information about nurse prescribing should be provided to all team members by trainee nurse prescribers. Information could include details about the proposed scope of future prescribing roles, allowing team members to consider how their roles could develop.     

Perceptions of the benefits and challenges of the role of advanced practice nurses in nurse‐led out‐of‐hours care in Hong Kong: a questionnaire study

Aims and objectives. The aim of the study was to identify the factors that nurses perceive may facilitate or hinder the development of advanced practice nurse roles in Hong Kong. Background. Advanced practice nurses are increasingly prominent in nurse‐led out‐of‐hours care in Hong Kong in response to changes to junior doctors’ hours of work. Setting. Three five‐day workshops for Hong Kong‐based advanced practice nurses were offered in partnership with UK clinicians. The aim of the workshops was to share UK experiences of implementation of the ‘Hospital at Night’ model of care delivery. The questionnaire study undertaken was not part of the workshop programme. However, the workshops gave the authors a unique opportunity to access relatively large numbers of Hong Kong‐based advanced practice nurses. Participants. The workshops were attended by experienced nurses who had been or were about to be appointed as advanced practice nurses. All nurses who attended one of the three workshops (n = 120) agreed to participate in the study. Methods. Responses to two open questions posed in the questionnaire were the subject of a content analysis. Results.  A prominent finding of the study was that respondents viewed the benefits of introducing advanced practice nurse roles in Hong Kong as outweighing any challenges. One of the main features of the perceived benefits relates to improving the quality and safety of patient care. The greatest challenges associated with the role related to acceptance of the role by other healthcare professionals, and difficulties associated with the general public’s traditional attitudes to healthcare provision in Hong Kong. Conclusions. Education of the public concerning the implementation of such roles is of crucial importance. Relevance to clinical practice. Findings from this study enhance understanding of the factors that hinder or facilitate advanced practice roles in out‐of‐hours care in Hong Kong.     

Survey of psychiatrists' views of nurse prescribing

For mental health nurses and service users to realize the benefits of non-medical prescribing, psychiatrists need to understand the remit of this role and be actively involved in influencing it. Although healthcare policy in the UK supports the expansion of non-medical prescribing, it requires much more for the successful implementation of such initiatives in practice. The aim of this survey was to explore the attitudes of all grades of psychiatrist working in two mental health trusts in the West Midlands to nurse prescribing. A specifically designed questionnaire was sent out to two groups of psychiatrists to assess their attitudes towards non-medical prescribing. Psychiatrists ( n  = 147) completed and returned a specifically designed questionnaire of their views. The more senior doctors appeared less concerned about nurse prescribing. Junior doctors expressed equivocation towards the role, suggesting that nurse prescribers be consistently supervised and have limited access to mental health drugs. The findings from this study have considerable implications for teams if junior doctors hold different views to their senior colleagues. Without the assistance of trusts in facilitating role change, the introduction of new roles could potentially heighten conflict between professions.     

Supporting newly hired nurses: a program to increase knowledge and confidence while fostering relationships among the team

BACKGROUND. It is important for newly hired nurses to be supported throughout their first year of employment by nurse leaders on their team. Newly hired nurses struggle with application of new clinical skills and critical thinking skills as well as integrating into unit culture. PROGRAM DESIGN. The Post Orientation Education Program (POEP) provided 18 newly hired nurses with clinical knowledge and support through one‐on‐one meetings with the nurse leaders on their unit. The nurse leaders discussed common diagnoses, laboratory tests, and medications in addition to providing support to the newly hired nurses as they adapted to the newness of nursing. Early in their career the newly hired nurses developed relationships with the leadership team that may have taken longer if not for the POEP. The program gave the newly hired nurses an opportunity to experience different teaching styles of the nurse leaders and offered them the chance to engage in conversations about both clinical and nonclinical information. OUTCOMES. The program was evaluated through pre/post tests and written evaluations. Evaluations revealed increased knowledge about common diagnoses, increased confidence in role, and the development of trusting relationships with the leadership team. CONCLUSION. The newly hired nurses valued the time that they spent with the leadership team as it helped them to integrate into the unit and feel comfortable using the leaders as resources for patient care. The POEP proved to be a program that impacted not only relationships among the team, but it increased retention and quality of patient care as the nurses felt supported by the team, knowledgeable about the care they were delivering and confident in their ability to seek out resources. A program like the POEP could be adapted to various healthcare settings based on individual needs of the team.     

Expected roles and utilization of specialist nurses in Japan: the nurse administrators’ perspective

onishi m. & kanda k. (2010) Journal of Nursing Management 18, 311–318
Expected roles and utilization of specialist nurses in Japan: the nurse administrators’ perspective Aim This study explored (1) expected roles for specialist nurses in Japan and (2) nurse administrators’ experience-based management strategies for effective implementation of these roles. Background In Japan, specialist nurses have begun to be recognized as valuable human resources. However, managerial issues in utilizing specialist nurses, including unclear roles and lack of reports on effective management strategies, remain. Method Three focus-group discussions were conducted. Nine nurse administrators participated. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis techniques. Results The expected roles for specialist nurses were: (1) facilitating general nurses’ learning; (2) monitoring and improving the patient care standard; and (3) developing new roles for nursing. Two management strategies were: (1) enhancing specialist nurses’ influence, and (2) enhancing specialist nurses’ motivation. Conclusions Specialist nurses are important human resources able to assume responsibility for process improvement in nursing care. Effective ways to enhance specialist nurses’ influence and motivation include developing their management and communication skills, and coordinating their workload and relationships with other health care professionals. Implications for Nursing Management Process improvement indicators may be useful for evaluating specialist nurses’ work. Nurse administrators can contribute to effective implementation of specialist nurses’ roles not only by clarifying their roles but also by empowering them to keep up with changing organizational needs.     

The work left undone. Understanding the challenge of providing holistic lung cancer nursing care in the UK

In England best practice guidance in cancer recommends that all patients have access to a specialist nurse such as the tumour specific clinical nurse specialist. The role has become pivotal providing aspects of care e.g. meeting information needs, holistic nurse led follow up including symptom control, managing care and providing psychological and social interventions including referral to others in the role of keyworker. There are approximately 295 lung cancer nurse specialists in England and recent study to model optimum caseload used an on line survey to look at workload of lung cancer specialist nurses. A survey of 100 lung cancer nurses from across the UK (RR78%) examined the perception of the work left undone against best practice guidance, caseload size, workload and other factors. 67 of 78 respondents perceived they left work such as proactive management (52) undertaking holistic needs assessments (46) providing appropriate psychological care (26) and meeting information needs (16). The majority (70) worked unpaid overtime (mean 3.8 h range 1–10 h) per week. Although proactive management is thought to result in better outcomes for lung cancer patients in terms of survival, quality of life and decisions of end of life a substantial number of the specialist nurses felt that factors such as caseload and organisational factors inhibited this.     

安徽省急诊急救专科护士工作现状调查与思考

目的:了解安徽省急诊急救专科护士的工作现状,为完善专科护士培养制度,加强专科护士使用与管理提供参考依据。方法:采用自行设计的调查问卷,对经安徽省急诊急救专科护士培训基地培训并取得资格的92名急诊急救专科护士的工作现状进行调查。结果:①92名急诊急救专科护士中有6名已离开急救护理岗位,离岗率为5.71%。②22名(34.78%)专科护士担任护士长职务,其中有20名是培训后升为护士长职务的,角色改变率为21.74%。③专科护士在教学方面发挥了较多的作用,但在急救技能、抢救流程、转运模式、各种规范的修订与完善、院外急救知识培训等高级临床实践方面作用发挥得不明显。④护士缺编、护士未分层次使用、职责不明确是影响专科护士核心能力发挥的主要因素。⑤经培训后,专科护士查阅文献和科研能力提高。⑥100%专科护士认为需要得到管理层支持和经常参加学术会议以促进其核心能力持续养成。结论:发挥专科护士高级临床护理实践作用,科学地使用专科护士,加强专科护士岗位管理,进行资格再认证,真正使专科护士学有所用,是目前面临的亟待解决的问题。     

Benefits and challenges of nurse prescribing

BACKGROUND: Since 1999, all health visitors and district nurses in the United Kingdom (UK) have received additional education to permit their registration as independent prescribers from a limited list of medicinal products. Little research has investigated how more than 20 000 health visitor and district nurse prescribers have implemented their new role since the evaluation of the pilot sites. AIMS: The aims of the study were to describe prescribing practices of health visitors and district nurses, the factors (contextual and professional) which enable and facilitate nurse prescribing, and views about the Nurse Prescribers' Formulary. METHOD: A mail survey was conducted of all health visitors and district nurses working in three trusts in southern England. A 74% response rate was achieved (n = 91). FINDINGS: Most respondents prescribed less than three times a week, with district nurses prescribing significantly more than health visitors (P 相似文献   

The nurse specialist role in Hong Kong: perceptions of nurse specialists, doctors and staff nurses

AIM: The purpose of this study is to review and delineate the impact in terms of the perceived importance as well as the role components of nurse specialists in Hong Kong. RATIONALE: The Nurse Specialist Scheme was launched in 1994 in Hong Kong. Studies in the West showed that there were impacts on the roles of other members among the health care team. However, minimal local published work has been carried out in reviewing the scheme. DESIGN: The design of the study was nonexperimental. Data were collected by self-administered questionnaires. The questionnaire adopted was developed by O'Mullan (1995), and the five roles studied were administration, clinical practice, consultation, education and research. To ensure the contextual relevancy and consistency of the questionnaire, content validity and test-retest reliability tests were performed. The content validity index was 0.85 and the test-retest reliability (Spearman's rho coefficient) ranged from 0.57 to 0.97. Subjects were obtained by stratified convenience sampling technique. The ratios for subject selection among the doctors, ward managers, nursing officers and registered nurses were 3:1:3:10, respectively. Because of the small numbers for nurse specialists, they were all included in the study. The final sample consisted of 11 nurse specialists, 47 ward managers, 56 nursing officers, 110 registered nurses and 15 doctors (n=239). RESULTS: The results showed that there were significant differences in the perceptions of importance of the administration, clinical practice, education and research roles, and the frequency of occurrence of the clinical practice and research roles. This was further verified by the Fisher's Least Significant Differences (LSD) test. CONCLUSIONS: A regulatory system of the nurse specialist was recommended to monitor the development of the nurse specialist role and practice and to ensure the safety of the public with regard to the emerging role. Both the implications and limitations are discussed.     

糖尿病专科护士在提升医院专项护理水平中的作用和地位

目的:探讨糖尿病专科护士在提升医院糖尿病专项护理水平中的作用和地位。方法:在以糖尿病专科护士为核心的护理团队共同努力下,该院成立了院内糖尿病护理小组,定期组织糖尿病专项护理质量检查,开展糖尿病护理会诊,开设糖尿病专科护理门诊,开展护理科研,牵头组建了镇江市糖尿病健康教育者网络。结果:经培训后护理小组成员的理论知识、操作技能考核结果均较培训前明显改善,差异具有统计学意义(P<0.01);该院非内分泌专科糖尿病患者对糖尿病教育总体满意度由培训前的56%上升到培训后的92%;非内分泌专科病区糖尿病专项护理质量检查的均分由基线71分上升为92分;2010年完成院内疑难护理会诊59次、院外护理会诊3次、健康教育门诊328人次;2位糖尿病专科护士申报的护理科研项目均获得了基金资助。结论:糖尿病专科护士是提升医院专项护理水平的重要因素,充分发挥其作用可提高全院糖尿病患者的护理质量。     

The evolving role of the clinical nurse specialist within the comprehensive breast cancer centre

• ? The collaborative functioning of a specialist multidisciplinary team is a fundamental prerequisite in the establishment of designated breast cancer units throughout the UK. It is, therefore, opportune for clinical nurse specialists to examine carefully their unique contribution to the care of women with breast disease.
• ? This article explores the contemporary developments in service provision and identifies potential areas for nursing development.
• ? It is only when the role of the breast care nurse is explicitly defined can research begin to determine the effectiveness of nursing practice in terms of women's health.

     

Illuminating the clinical nurse specialist role of advanced practice nursing: a qualitative study

As the advanced practice nursing initiative in Canada gains momentum, effort is being directed towards clarifying and defining advanced practice roles. A qualitative study was undertaken to increase understanding of the clinical nurse specialist role of advanced practice. Sixteen nurses who worked in advanced practice roles, organizing and providing healthcare for children with complex health needs and their families across the continuum of care, participated in in-depth conversations about the nature of their practice, the knowledge that informs it and the factors that influence it. Findings suggest that clinical nurse specialists have a unique role in the organization and delivery of healthcare for specialized populations with complex health needs in their dual focus on the system level of healthcare and on population health needs. Initiatives directed to children and families within the study participants' specialties included program development, consultation and educational outreach and the development of clinical guidelines and policies. Although the nurses described their practice as focusing both on individual children and families and on the population of children and families within their specialty, it is at the population level that they see their greatest potential for contributing to the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective healthcare.     

ICU专科护士培养与使用

目的:探讨重症监护病房(ICU)专科护士培养和使用的模式。方法:根据调查所得的ICU护士的核心能力水平,将ICU护士的核心能力分为四个层级,制定ICU专科护士的成长阶梯和使用计划。结果:ICU专科护士带动了ICU病区护理质量的提升。结论:建立持续性的、逐级递进的阶梯式教育培训系统是有效的ICU专科护士培养模式。