Entrustables and Entrustment: Through the Looking Glass at the Clinical Making of a Nurse Practitioner

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) formally address the supervision level required for nurse practitioner (NP) skills of students and fellows. Entrustment is the decision to entrust students and fellows with the responsibility to practice professional skills without direct supervision. EPAs offer the promise of consistency within and among NP programs about the expected skills of NP students and fellows and how and when they are acquired. EPAs highlight how and when the supervision and entrustment decisions are made. Their use in medical and graduate medical education suggests that EPAs would provide a common vocabulary among NP students, fellows, and physician colleagues.     

A comparison in independent nurse prescribing and patient group directions by nurse practitioners in the emergency department: A cross sectional review

AimTo explore nurse prescribing in an emergency department using patient group directions versus independent nurse prescribing.BackgroundPatient group directions allow restricted access to medication in unselected patients using pre-set criteria. Independent nurse prescribing is a flexible method of medication provision. Limited data exists on the application of either method in clinical practice.MethodsExploration of patient group directions and independent nurse prescribing application in an emergency department using 617 nurse practitioners’ clinical notes; 235 and 382 respectively. Patient attendances from 01/07/2009 to 30/06/2010 were randomly sampled. Prescribing frequency; range of medications and diagnoses; independent episode completion and prescribing safety was explored.ResultsStatistical difference exists in prescribing frequency between the independent nurse prescribers (51.6%, n = 197) and patient group directions (32.3%, n = 76). Appropriate medication given by 99.7% (n = 381) of independent nurse prescribers, with 1 contraindicated drug provided. The limitations of patient group directions was highlighted in 11.8% (n = 9) of cases, however all drugs given were appropriate for the diagnosis. No statistical difference in independent episode completion.ConclusionsNurses provide appropriate medication in an emergency department. Patients being managed by nurse prescribers were more likely to receive medication. Further investigation is required to justify this.     

The Nurse Practitioners-Physician Team in Nursing Home Practice

Development and effectiveness of a Family Nurse Practitioner-Physician faculty team is providing health care to nursing home residents and educational experiences to Family Practice residents is evaluated. Indicated changes in the educational program and implications for faculty teams are given.     

Instrument validation: hospital nurse perceptions of their Behavioral Health Care Competency

Aim. To report the development and psychometric testing of the Behavioral Health Care Competency survey, designed to measure hospital nurse perceptions of behavioral healthcare competency. Background. Hospital nurses working in general or other non‐psychiatric units may lack behavioral healthcare competency to manage disruptive behaviours associated with mental illnesses. Design. Instrument development. Method. A nurse study team including clinical experts and nurse researchers from three community hospitals in southern California (USA) reviewed content validity of each item and the 31‐item instrument and created a behavioral health care competency conceptual model based on the nursing process. Separate institutional review board permissions were obtained from each hospital. The study team collaborated in the timing of survey administration (November 2010), analysis of the results and survey validation. Results. A total of 844 nurses completed the survey, representing approximately 23–41% of eligible nurses from each hospital. Using principal component analysis with varimax rotation, 23 items led to a factor structure with four components. Four subscales with adequate alpha coefficients were formed: Resource Adequacy, Patient Assessment, Practice/Intervention Competency, and Psychotropic Recommendation. Conclusion. The 23‐item hospital nurse Behavioral Health Care Competency survey is an adequate and valid newly developed instrument. Further testing with diverse samples is needed to strengthen generalizability and address unique and specialized nursing care needs.     

多学科团队协作护理会诊模式在PICC护理中的实践

目的探讨多学科团队(MDT)协作护理会诊模式在PICC护理中的实践效果。方法通过组建PICC多学科协作团队,实施多学科讨论流程,以问题为基础的病例讨论,医护技团队合作实施的临床护理路径,推行以患者为中心的个案处理模式。结果置管异位纠正率提高,护理团队的专业知识、病情掌握、团队建设等方面均比以前更加完善。结论多学科协作护理会诊模式适用于PICC护理,能显著提高护理人员专业能力,提高置管成功率,促进专业发展。