Competencias y perfil profesional de la enfermera de práctica avanzada

Competencies of the nurses in the limitation of therapeutic effort in the intensive care unit: An integrative review

Objective

Nurses inevitably encounter patients who require care aimed at limiting therapeutic effort (LTE), even though many of them are not prepared to provide support to individuals with terminal illnesses and their families. One of the contexts in which the LTE is considered is the intensive care unit (ICU). This review is to describe the competencies for the execution of a nursing professional role in the LTE in the ICU.

Method

An integrative review of the literature published between the years 2010 and 2023. The search was carried out in five databases: Medline, Wiley Online Library, SciELO, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme in Spanish was used as the template for study evaluation. The methodology of the Oxford Center for Evidence-Based Medicine (CEBM) was used to assess the level of evidence and the degree of recommendation.

Result

A total of 25 articles in a wide range of studies were included. The findings suggest that the competencies for LTE in the ICU are direct patient care, family-centered care, and the role of the nurse within the team. However, more high-quality studies are needed to confirm these conclusions. Three categories were identified: (a) competencies as defender agent between the patient, his family, and the interdisciplinary team; (b) competencies for decision-making in limiting the therapeutic effort; and (c) competencies for nursing therapeutic interventions at the end of life.

Conclusion

The competencies of the nursing professionals who work in the adult ICU in the LTE are essential to the patient's quality of life, dignity of their death, and comprehensive family support for coping with grief.

Advanced Practice Nursing in Brazil: how are we and what is missing?

OBJECTIVE

To reflect on the role and initiatives of the Brazilian Nursing Association (ABEn) and the Federal Nursing Council (Cofen) in the development, recognition, and regulation necessary to implement advanced practice nursing (APN) in Brazil.

METHOD

This is a theoretical-reflective essay resulting from the roundtable discussion entitled "Regulation and recognition of advanced nursing practices in Brazil: how are we and what is missing" held in May 2021, at the III International Symposium on Adult Health.

RESULTS

ABEn and Cofen are strategic partners to define the areas of activity of this specialization in Brazil. Nursing organizations are responsible for defining professional profiles and curricula, advanced practice nursing conditions, and adequacy of existing graduate courses aiming at technical support, political leadership, regulation, and construction of an APN foundation in Brazil.

CONCLUSION

Brazil must broaden the national debate on APN, define a training model for it, and articulate efforts with all its strategic partners to build a theoretical, political, and labor framework for advanced practice nurses' full professional practice.

Práticas Avançadas em Enfermagem no Brasil: como estamos e o que falta?

RESUMO Objetivo: Refletir sobre o papel e as iniciativas da Associação Brasileira de Enfermagem (ABEn) e do Conselho Federal de Enfermagem (Cofen) no desenvolvimento, reconhecimento e regulamentação necessários à implantação da Enfermagem de Prática Avançada (EPA) no Brasil. Método: Ensaio teórico-reflexivo resultante da mesa-redonda intitulada “Regulamentação e reconhecimento das práticas avançadas em enfermagem no Brasil: Como estamos e o que falta?”, realizada em maio de 2021, no III Simpósio Internacional de Saúde do Adulto. Resultados: Fica evidenciado que a ABEn e o Cofen são parceiros estratégicos para definição das áreas de atuação desta especialização no país. As responsabilidades das organizações da Enfermagem consistem em definir o perfil profissional, o currículo, as condições para o exercício dos enfermeiros de prática avançada, adequação dos cursos de pós-graduação existentes, com vistas ao apoio técnico, liderança política, regulação, regulamentação e construção de bases para EPA no país. Conclusão: É preciso ampliar o debate sobre a EPA no Brasil, definir o modelo de formação e articular esforços com todos os parceiros estratégicos, no intuito de construir um arcabouço teórico, político e laboral para o pleno exercício profissional do enfermeiro de prática avançada.

Professional profile and work conditions of nurses working in intensive care units: A multicentre study

AIM

To determine the professional profile and the work conditions of nurses working in intensive care units (ICU) in Colombia, Argentina, Peru and Brazil.

BACKGROUND

ICUs require a differentiated professional profile to provide quality care, and appropriate working conditions, leading to a transformation of care and management practices.

DESIGN

Descriptive multicentre cross-sectional observational study.

METHODS

An online survey was applied to identify both the characteristics of the professional profile and the working conditions. 1,427 ICU nursing professionals were included. RStudio statistical software was used for the analysis of the information. Descriptive statistics were used for the presentation of the results. The STROBE checklist for cross-sectional studies was used in this study.

RESULTS

Only 33.6% of the professionals had a specialisation degree in intensive care. The skills that were most frequently put into practice were communication (68.5%) and care management (78.5%). The most predominant nurse-to-patient ratios were 1:2, and greater than 1:6. 59.1% of the nurses had an indefinite term contract, 38.8% worked 48 hours per week and 49.8% had rotating shifts. Only 50.4% of them received incentives. The average salary ranged between 348 and 1,500 USD. 64.5% of the participants were satisfied with their job.

CONCLUSION

It is necessary to strengthen nurses' professional profile by promoting both postgraduate education and the development of troubleshooting and teamwork skills. It is necessary to standardise the nurse-to-patient ratio, improve wages and increase incentives to achieve greater job satisfaction.

RELEVANCE TO PRACTICE

The knowledge and the improvement of both the professional profile and the work conditions of nurses working in intensive care units will improve the quality of the care given to critical patients and, therefore, the quality of health outcomes.

Advanced practices for care management: reflections on the Brazilian Nursing

OBJECTIVE

to explain about the Advanced Nursing Practice and to discuss the possibilities of the Advanced Practice for the management of nursing care in Brazil.

METHOD

this is a theoretical-reflexive trial, based on the international literature on advanced practices in nursing and analysis relevant to the profession and to the Brazilian context.

RESULTS

the object of the study was described in the following driving axes: Advanced Practice Nurse: international examples and Brazilian reality; Reflections on the care management by the Advanced Practice Nurse in Brazil. Autonomy, qualified training, leadership and performance based on scientific evidences as the foundation of the best care management by the Advanced Nursing Practice, stand out.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

while early and challenging, the work of Brazilian nursing towards advanced professional practice seems to be interesting, since the possibilities of managing the care of this modality of nurses' performance are evident.