The role of Government policy in supporting nurse-led care in general practice in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia: an adapted realist review

Perceptions of general practitioners towards the services provided by advanced practice nurses: a cross-sectional survey in France

BACKGROUND

New healthcare professions are emerging due to scarce medical resources. The appearance of a new healthcare profession, advanced practice nurses (APNs), has raised questions about how general practitioners interrelate with them as primary care providers. The objective of this study was to explore the perceptions general practitioners have towards the services rendered by APNs to patients, to general practice and the role they play in the healthcare system.

METHODS

A survey-based, cross-sectional study was conducted throughout the Grand Est region of France which covers 57,333km2 and has a population of approximately 5,562,651. The survey was compiled using pre-existing questionnaires and was carried out from July to September 2022 via email. Variables collected were rate of acceptability and socio-demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

In total, 251 responses were included. The mean age of general practitioners was 41.7 years, most were women (58.2%) and worked in rural areas of the region (53.8%). Over 80% of respondents practiced in group structures (defined as either multi-professional health centers (n = 61) or in group practices (n = 143)). Most respondents (94.0%) were familiar with the APN profession and did not consider that APNs improved access to care (55.8%, percent of responders with score ≤ 3/10). Moreover, most did not believe that APNs were useful as a primary care provider for patients (61.8%). However, being a member of a territorialized healthcare community, known as Communautés Professionnelles Territoriales de Santé (CPTS), was associated with a positive appraisal of APNs' services (OR = 2.116, 95%CI: 1.223 to 3.712; p = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

Encouraging shared and networked practice within a healthcare community may promote a positive perception of new actors. Further studies need to be conducted to show whether the integration of APNs into healthcare networks improves quality of care.

The development of practice standards for patient education in nurse-led clinics: a mixed-method study

INTRODUCTION

Educating patients and families about self-care is one of the important roles of nurses in Nurse-led clinics (NLCs). NLCs need standards for guiding the practice of nurses. A standard is an authoritative statement that sets out the legal and professional basis of nursing practice. This paper seeks to report the development of practice standards for patient and family education in NLCs.

METHODS

This project used a Sequential-Exploratory mixed methods design. Before the study, we conducted a literature review to identify gaps. Directed content analysis was used in phase 1. The second phase involved two focus groups. The third phase involves two rounds of modified Delphi.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine participants were interviewed, and 1816 preliminary codes were formed in phase 1. 95 standards were grouped into three main categories (structure, process, and outcome). In the first focus group, experts eliminate 32 standards. Experts eliminate 8 standards after the second stage of the focus group. After two rounds of Delphi, the final version of the standard consists of 46 standards (13 structure, 28 process and 5 outcome).

CONCLUSIONS

Nurses and institutions could benefit from practice standards for patient education in the NLCs, which consist of 46 statements in three domains, as a guide for clinical activities and a tool to gauge the quality of patient education in NLCs. The developed standards in this study can guide new and existing NLCs and help them evaluate ongoing activities. Providing patient education in NLCs based on standards can improve patients' outcomes and promote their health.

Factors influencing nurses' provision of self-management support for patients with chronic illnesses: A systematic mixed studies review

BACKGROUND

Self-management support is considered an important task for nurses working in chronic care provision. The complex nature of self-management support makes it necessary to clarify the factors affecting the behaviour of nurses in supporting patients living with chronic illnesses.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review is to synthesize the factors influencing the provision of self-management support as perceived by nurses in the care for patients living with a chronic illness.

DESIGN

A systematic mixed studies review.

DATA SOURCE

Studies published in English from 1999 to April 2020 were extracted from five databases: CINAHL, PubMed, Cochrane library, EMBASE, and Web of Science.

REVIEW METHOD

The selection process was guided by PICo (Population, phenomenon of Interest, and Context). Studies that highlighted factors associated with the provision of self-management support among nurses, within the context of the top four non-communicable chronic diseases, were included. The risk of bias was carefully assessed. Using data-based convergent synthesis, the identified factors were synthesized and tabulated. The clusters of factors organized under each theme were approved by all researchers in discussion meetings.

RESULTS

In total, sixteen studies met the inclusion criteria; out of these, seven were qualitative, seven quantitative, and two mixed methods studies. The review identified nurses' perspectives regarding factors influencing self-management support at the patient, nurse, care relationship, education and training, organization and healthcare system, and intra- and inter-professional levels. The review provided evidence that these factors are interdependent in nature.

CONCLUSION

This review proposed considering a framework of interdependent factors influencing self-management support. It highlighted the need to come up with a comprehensive definition of self-management support that takes into account the emotional aspect as well as patient-as-partner approach. The proposed framework can be useful in tailoring multi-faceted interventions to strengthen nurses' supportive role in self-management of chronic care. Future studies should focus on exploring contextually relevant factors impacting nurses' supportive role in self-management.

Understanding the general practice nursing workforce in New Zealand: an overview of characteristics 2015-19

Limited knowledge about the nursing workforce in New Zealand general practice inhibits the optimal use of nurses in this increasingly complex setting. Using workforce survey data published biennially by the Nursing Council of New Zealand, this study describes the characteristics of nurses in general practice and contrasts them with the greater nursing workforce, including consideration of changes in the profiles between 2015 and 2019. The findings suggest the general practice nursing workforce is older, less diverse, more predominately New Zealand trained and very much more likely to work part-time than other nurses. There is evidence that nurses in general practice are increasingly primary health care focused, as they take on expanded roles and responsibilities. However, ambiguity about terminology and the inability to track individuals in the data are limitations of this study. Therefore, it was not possible to identify and describe cohorts of nurses in general practice by important characteristics, such as prescribing authority, regionality and rurality. A greater national focus on defining and tracking this pivotal workforce is called for to overcome role confusion and better facilitate the use of nursing scopes of practice.

A Realist Synthesis of Literature Informing Programme Theories for Well Child Care in Primary Health Systems of Developed Economies

INTRODUCTION

Well-child Care is the provision of preventative health care services for children and their families. The approach, however, to the universal provision of those services is contentious.

METHODS

We undertook a realist synthesis to enhance understanding of the theoretical mechanisms driving Well-child Care by searching for published and grey literature from multiple databases.

FINDINGS

Well-child Care is re-conceptualised as an integrated program delivered in the continuum of pregnancy, infancy and childhood. Depending on the context, Well-child Care can be a policy, a strategy, or an actual clinical practice that promotes child and family health. The main mechanisms include: role, training and continuity of health providers; administrators' views of the return of investment on achieved outcomes; access to services by families; and the adaptation of programs to meet the dynamic needs of stakeholders. Evidence indicates that for most outcomes, Well-child Care is best delivered in partnerships between community health, social care, and early childhood education sectors.

CONCLUSIONS

We conclude that Well-child Care policy and program leaders should shift their focus to the integration of: human and physical resources; policy instruments; and shared agreement on outcomes measures across health, social and education sectors. In addition, countries should work towards strengthening universal early education programs and parents' health literacy regarding child development, health and safety.

Understanding primary care nurses' contribution to cancer early diagnosis: A systematic review

PURPOSE

Primary care nurses can contribute to cancer early diagnosis. The objective of this systematic review was to identify, appraise and synthesise evidence on primary care nurses' contribution towards cancer early diagnosis in developed countries.

METHOD

The following databases were searched in September 2017: MEDLINE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and EMBASE. Data were extracted on nurses': knowledge of cancer; frequency of 'cancer early diagnosis-related discussions' with patients; and perceived factors influencing these discussions. Studies were appraised using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.

RESULTS

Twenty-one studies were included from: United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, Turkey, Australia, Brazil and Middle East. Studies were mostly of low quality (one did not meet any appraisal criteria, 15 met one, four met two, and one met three). Nurses' knowledge of cancer, and their frequency of 'cancer early diagnosis-related discussions', varied across countries. This may be due to measurement bias or nurses' divergent roles across healthcare systems. Commonly perceived barriers to having screening discussions included: lack of time, insufficient knowledge and communication skills, and believing that patients react negatively to this topic being raised.

CONCLUSIONS

Findings suggest a need for nurses to be adequately informed about, and have the confidence and skills to discuss, the topic of cancer early diagnosis. Further high-quality research is required to understand international variation in primary care nurses' contribution to this field, and to develop and evaluate optimal methods for preparing them for, and supporting them in, this.

Health service brokerage to improve primary care access for populations experiencing vulnerability or disadvantage: a systematic review and realist synthesis

BACKGROUND

Individuals experiencing disadvantage or marginalisation often face difficulty accessing primary health care. Overcoming access barriers is important for improving the health of these populations. Brokers can empower and enable people to access resources; however, their role in increasing access to health services has not been well-defined or researched in the literature. This review aims to identify whether a health service broker working with health and social service providers in the community can (a) identify individuals experiencing vulnerability who may benefit from improved access to quality primary care, and (b) link these individuals with an appropriate primary care provider for enduring, appropriate primary care.

METHODS

Six databases were searched for studies published between January 2008 and August 2015 that evaluated a health service broker intervention linking adults experiencing vulnerability to primary care. Relevant websites were also searched. Included studies were analysed using candidacy theory and a realist matrix was developed to identify mechanisms that may have contributed to changes in response to the interventions in different contexts.

RESULTS

Eleven studies were included in the review. Of the eight studies judged to provide detailed description of the programs, the interventions predominately addressed two domains of candidacy (identification of candidacy and navigation), with limited applicability to the third and fourth dimensions (permeability of services and appearances at health services). Six of the eight studies were judged to have successfully linked their target group to primary care. The majority of the interventions focused on assisting patients to reach services and did not look at ways that providers or health services could alter the way they deliver care to improve access.

CONCLUSIONS

While specific mechanisms behind the interventions could not be identified, it is suggested that individual advocacy may be a key element in the success of these types of interventions. The interventions were found to address some dimensions of candidacy, with health service brokers able to help people to identify their need for care and to access, navigate and interact with services. More consideration should be given to the influence of providers on patient candidacy, rather than placing the onus on patients.

The CKD-DETECT study: An RCT aimed at improving intention to initiate a kidney health check in Australian practice nurses

BACKGROUND

The burden of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) on the Australian health system is growing. Efforts to reverse this trend have not been successful. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of a targeted asynchronous web based e-learning module on general practice nurses' behavioural intentions in relation to opportunistic screening practices for people at risk of CKD.

DESIGN

Double blinded pre-post interventional randomised control design.

METHODS

Participants were nurses working in general practice settings in Australia. Participants were randomised to a knowledge based active control or targeted behavioural based intervention which were delivered using asynchronous e-learning modules. The intervention was designed to influence the behavioural constructs of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB): attitude, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control (PBC).

RESULTS

Of the 420 participants, we analysed the primary and secondary outcomes for 212 (50.47%) who had complete follow up data. There were no significant differences (p 0.424, [d] 0.04) in behavioural intention between the intervention and control groups at follow-up, when controlling for baseline values. However, regression models assessing the relationship between the change in the TPB constructs and behavioural intention at follow-up for all participants, regardless of study arm, demonstrated a significant change in intention to initiate a kidney health check. Although these changes could not be attributed to the effect of the intervention. Attitude (r2 = 0.3525, p 0.0004) and PBC (r2 = 0.3510, p 0.0005) models accounted for approximately 35% of the explained variance in behavioural intentions and social norm (r2 = 0.3297, p 0.0171) accounted for approximately 33% of the variance. When all TPB constructs were included in the model, 37% of the variance in intention was explained.

CONCLUSION

A targeted behavioural online intervention was no more effective than a knowledge based online program to improve primary health care nurses' intention to initiate a kidney health check in people at risk of chronic kidney disease.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Collaborative efforts are required by all staff working in general practice to develop models of care to improve screening practices for chronic kidney disease. Future research should focus on interventions that improve collaboration between health care professionals in the primary care setting and public health campaigns to increase awareness of risks of CKD and the importance of screening in the primary care setting.

Ambulatory approach to cancer care. Part 2: the role of nurses and the multidisciplinary team and safety

Ambulatory care (AC) involves providing inpatient chemotherapy and supportive care as an outpatient service. Nurses and the multidisciplinary team (MDT) have a major role in this. AC at a major London teaching hospital trust is a nurse-led service, headed by specialist cancer nurses with excellent knowledge of the needs and priorities of patients undergoing intensive treatment. An experienced MDT, including administrative support, maintains safety and continuity of care. The nurses, MDT and patient work closely to promote the patient's wellbeing, self-management and trust. A scenario is analysed in this article to illustrate potential concerns around a patient's safety and suitability for AC. This is the second article of a three-part series; the previous article discussed AC at a major London teaching hospital and improving the patient experience.

Is the Counterweight Program a feasible and acceptable option for structured weight management delivered by practice nurses in Australia? A mixed-methods study

Nurse-led weight management programs, like the Counterweight Program in the United Kingdom, may offer a way for Australian general practices to provide weight management support to adults who are overweight or obese. During Counterweight, nurses provide patients with six fortnightly education sessions and three follow-up sessions to support weight maintenance. This study examined the feasibility, acceptability and perceived value of the Counterweight Program in the Australian primary care setting using a mixed-methods approach. Six practice nurses, from three general practices, were trained and subsidised to deliver the program. Of the 65 patients enrolled, 75% (n=49) completed the six education sessions. General practitioners and practice nurses reported that the training and resource materials were useful, the program fitted into general practices with minimal disruption and the additional workload was manageable. Patients reported that the program created a sense of accountability and provided a safe space to learn about weight management. Overall, Counterweight was perceived as feasible, acceptable and valuable by Australian practice staff and patients. The key challenge for future implementation will be identifying adequate and sustainable funding. An application to publically fund Counterweight under the Medicare Benefits Schedule would require stronger evidence of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness in Australia.

General practitioners' views on providing nutrition care to patients with chronic disease: a focus group study

INTRODUCTION Nutrition care refers to practices conducted by health professionals to support patients to improve their dietary intake. General practitioners (GPs) are expected to provide nutrition care to patients for prevention and management of chronic disease. AIM This study explores GPs' opinions regarding nutrition care provision to patients with chronic disease. METHODS An interpretive descriptive approach to qualitative research using seven semi-structured focus groups with 48 GPs in Auckland was used. Focus groups investigated how GPs felt about providing nutrition care; the perceived barriers to and support required for this care; the development of further nutrition knowledge and skills; and possible roles for Practice Nurses. Recorded interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic approach. RESULTS GPs indicated routine provision of basic nutrition care to patients with chronic disease, but perceived their limited consultation time and nutrition competence constrained their capacity to provide nutrition care. GPs felt they needed further information to provide culturally, socially and economically sensitive nutrition care. GPs displayed variable opinions on the benefits of developing their nutrition knowledge and skills, and the idea of Practice Nurses providing nutrition care. CONCLUSIONS Despite perceiving that nutrition care is important for patients with chronic disease and facing barriers to providing nutrition care, GPs appear reluctant to further develop their knowledge and skills and for Practice Nurses to provide this care. Strategies to enhance GPs' nutrition-related self-efficacy, nutrition cultural competence and attitudes towards further training care may be warranted.

Contemporary challenges for specialist nursing in interstitial lung disease

The role of clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) in interstitial lung disease (ILD) is evolving in response to clinical guidelines and the growth of clinical research. The role is well established in the UK, although more ILD posts are needed to ensure supply meets clinical demand. This phenomenon is also happening across Europe. An appreciation of the similarities and differences between CNS and advanced nurse practitioners is important given the challenges in defining, developing and supporting this nursing specialisation. Globally, different models exist. In some countries charitable organisations take a leading role in supporting patients. Many European centres look to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines and quality standards as a template to develop and evaluate the role of the ILD CNS. We present a UK perspective in the context of a government subsidised healthcare system to promote professional discussion and debate regarding the future of nursing practice in the ILD specialty.

Specialist nurses and interdisciplinary healthcare professionals are fundamental to the care of patients diagnosed with ILD. ILD specific clinical and academic standards are needed to sustain and develop a dedicated ILD workforcehttp://ow.ly/toee30h1UkW

Nurses' performance on primary care in the National Health Service in England

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the expansion of nursing roles in primary care in the English National Health Service and the implications for professional practice.

METHOD

qualitative research in case study format, held in London, England, in six primary care units. Data were obtained through interviews with nine nurses. After the thematic data analysis, two units emerged: the nurses' performance characteristics and effects of the expansion of nursing roles.

RESULTS

expansion of nurses' roles: consultation, diagnosis and drug therapy, case management and monitoring of chronic conditions. Repercussions: for the user, there was improved access, communication and comprehensive care, increased duration of consultations, resulting in greater adherence; for nurses, there was the expansion of professional skills, knowledge and professional recognition; to the health care system, it resulted in cost savings.

CONCLUSION

benefits in expanding nursing roles, were visible, contributing to primary care quality.

Physiotherapy-as-first-point-of-contact-service for patients with musculoskeletal complaints: understanding the challenges of implementation

BACKGROUND

Primary care faces unprecedented challenges. A move towards a more comprehensive, multi-disciplinary service delivery model has been proposed as a means with which to secure more sustainable services for the future. One seemingly promising response has been the implementation of physiotherapy self-referral schemes, however there is a significant gap in the literature regarding implementation. Aim This evaluation aimed to explore how the professionals and practice staff involved in the delivery of an in-practice physiotherapy self-referral scheme understood the service, with a focus on perceptions of value, barriers and impact. Design and setting A qualitative evaluation was conducted across two UK city centre practices that had elected to participate in a pilot self-referral scheme offering 'physiotherapy-as-a-first-point-of-contact' for patients presenting with a musculoskeletal complaint.

METHODS

Individual and focus group interviews were conducted amongst participating physiotherapists, administration/reception staff, general practitioners (GPs) and one practice nurse (in their capacity as practice partner). Interview data were collected from a total of 14 individuals. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Three key themes were highlighted by this evaluation. First, the imperative of effecting a cultural change - including management of patient expectation with particular reference to the belief that GPs represented the 'legitimate choice', re-visioning contemporary primary care as a genuine team approach, and the physiotherapists' reconceptualisation of their role and practices. Second, the impact of the service on working practice across all stakeholders - specifically re-distribution of work to 'unburden' the GP, and the critical role of administration staff. Finally, beliefs regarding the nature and benefits of physiotherapeutic musculoskeletal expertise - fears regarding physiotherapists' ability to work autonomously or identify 'red flags' were unfounded.

CONCLUSION

This qualitative evaluation draws on the themes to propose five key lessons which may be significant in predicting the success of implementing physiotherapy self-referral schemes.

Workforce flexibility - in defence of professional healthcare work

Purpose The desirability of having a more flexible workforce is emphasised across many health systems yet this goal is as ambiguous as it is ubiquitous. In the absence of empirical studies in healthcare that have defined flexibility as an outcome, the purpose of this paper is to draw on classic management and sociological theory to reduce this ambiguity. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses the Weberian tool of "ideal types". Key workforce reforms are held against Atkinson's model of functional flexibility which aims to increase responsiveness and adaptability through multiskilling, autonomy and teams; and Taylorism which seeks stability and reduced costs through specialisation, fragmentation and management control. Findings Appeals to an amorphous goal of increasing workforce flexibility make an assumption that any reform will increase flexibility. However, this paper finds that the work of healthcare professionals already displays most of the essential features of functional flexibility but many widespread reforms are shifting healthcare work in a Taylorist direction. This contradiction is symptomatic of a failure to confront inevitable trade-offs in reform: between the benefits of specialisation and the costs of fragmentation; and between management control and professional autonomy. Originality/value The paper questions the conventional conception of "the problem" of workforce reform as primarily one of professional control over tasks. Holding reforms against the ideal types of Taylorism and functional flexibility is a simple, effective way the costs and benefits of workforce reform can be revealed.

Achieving change in primary care--causes of the evidence to practice gap: systematic reviews of reviews

Background

This study is to identify, summarise and synthesise literature on the causes of the evidence to practice gap for complex interventions in primary care.

Design

This study is a systematic review of reviews.

Methods

MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and PsychINFO were searched, from inception to December 2013. Eligible reviews addressed causes of the evidence to practice gap in primary care in developed countries. Data from included reviews were extracted and synthesised using guidelines for meta-synthesis.

Results

Seventy reviews fulfilled the inclusion criteria and encompassed a wide range of topics, e.g. guideline implementation, integration of new roles, technology implementation, public health and preventative medicine. None of the included papers used the term “cause” or stated an intention to investigate causes at all. A descriptive approach was often used, and the included papers expressed “causes” in terms of “barriers and facilitators” to implementation. We developed a four-level framework covering external context, organisation, professionals and intervention. External contextual factors included policies, incentivisation structures, dominant paradigms, stakeholders’ buy-in, infrastructure and advances in technology. Organisation-related factors included culture, available resources, integration with existing processes, relationships, skill mix and staff involvement. At the level of individual professionals, professional role, underlying philosophy of care and competencies were important. Characteristics of the intervention that impacted on implementation included evidence of benefit, ease of use and adaptability to local circumstances. We postulate that the “fit” between the intervention and the context is critical in determining the success of implementation.

Conclusions

This comprehensive review of reviews summarises current knowledge on the barriers and facilitators to implementation of diverse complex interventions in primary care. To maximise the uptake of complex interventions in primary care, health care professionals and commissioning organisations should consider the range of contextual factors, remaining aware of the dynamic nature of context. Future studies should place an emphasis on describing context and articulating the relationships between the factors identified here.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO CRD42014009410

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13012-016-0396-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Are nurses well placed as care co-ordinators in primary care and what is needed to develop their role: a rapid review?

Care co-ordination is reported to be an effective component of chronic disease (CD) management within primary care. While nurses often perform this role, it has not been reported if they or other disciplines are best placed to take on this role, and whether the discipline of the co-ordinator has any impact on clinical and health service outcomes. We conducted a rapid review of previous systematic reviews from 2006 to 2013 to answer these questions with a view to informing improvements in care co-ordination programmes. Eighteen systematic reviews from countries with developed health systems comparable to Australia were included. All but one included complex interventions and 12 of the 18 involved a range of multidisciplinary co-ordination strategies. This multi-strategy and multidisciplinarity made it difficult to isolate which were the most effective strategies and disciplines. Nurses required specific training for these roles, but performed co-ordination more often than any other discipline. There was, however, no evidence that discipline had a direct impact on clinical or service outcomes, although specific expertise gained through training and workforce organisational support for the co-ordinator was required. Hence, skill mix is an important consideration when employing care co-ordination, and a sustained consistent approach to workforce change is required if nurses are to be enabled to perform effective care co-ordination in CD management in primary care.

The Polisemy of Clinical Governance: a review of literature

The article aims to explore the concept of clinical management, with a view towards understanding the diverse meanings that could be attributed to that expression. This discussion can contribute to the planning and organization of health services geared to the management of clinical practices, as well as to set forth principles to draft actions in that field. Methodologically, the study consists of a qualitative literature review, using keywords of the Virtual Health Library (VHL). In terms of results, seven topics stand out that synthesize the analysis of sources: management, quality promotion, clinical monitoring or auditing, education, responsibility or accountability, safety in care and a systemic dimension. The conclusion is that the variation of meanings relates to the way in which the authors of the studies reviewed express or unfold the structuring conceptual components broadly accepted as clinical governance. What we observe is a lack of a greater focus on discussions regarding planning and policies relating to clinical governance.

A case study exploring employment factors affecting general practice nurse role development

Aim

The aim of this study was to explore the factors affecting role development in practice nursing in the United Kingdom.

Background

General practice is currently central to National Health Service reform, producing favourable conditions for the practice nurse role to be further strengthened and developed. However, the literature has continued to describe evidence that practice nurses are a disempowered, isolated group with many constraints reducing their ability to respond to opportunities to develop their role. The rationale for conducting the study was therefore to provide a greater understanding about the constraining factors and their influence on practice nurses wishing to develop their role.

Method

The method used to conduct the research followed a case approach, as the subject being investigated was complex with multiple inter-related factors and the approach was exploratory. The cases comprised six UK general practices and the participants within each case were a practice nurse, a GP and a practice manager.

Findings

A combination of factors was found to contribute to the way the practice nurse role evolves. These are education, practice culture, practice nurse personal characteristics and empowerment. Empowerment holds the key to maximising the conditions favourable to practice nurse role evolution. This is not, however, a ‘single’ factor; it represents the combined synergistic effects of practice culture and practice nurse personal characteristics on creating an empowering environment. The inter-relationship between these was captured in a framework and given the title ‘empowering employment principles’.

Conclusion

The ‘empowering employment principles’ illustrate the features most conducive to role evolution, thus providing a tool for practice nurses and their employers to enhance opportunities for nurses to develop their role.

Prevalence and associations of general practice nurses' involvement in consultations of general practitioner registrars: a cross-sectional analysis

OBJECTIVE

To establish prevalence and associations of general practice nurses' (GPNs) involvement in general practitioner (GP) registrars' consultations.

METHODS

A cross-sectional analysis from an ongoing cohort study of registrars' clinical consultations in five Australian states. Registrars recorded detailed data from 60 consecutive consultations per 6-month training term. Problems and diagnoses encountered, including chronic disease classification, were coded using the International Classification of Primary Care, second edition duplication system (ICPC-2plus) classification system. The outcome factor in our analysis was GPN involvement in management of individual problems and diagnoses. Independent variables were a range of patient, registrar, practice, consultation and educational factors.

RESULTS

We analysed 108 759 consultations of 856 registrars including 169 307 problems or diagnoses. Of the problems/diagnoses, 5.1% (95% confidence interval (CI) 5.0-5.2) involved a GPN. Follow-up with a GPN was organised for 1.5% (95% CI 1.4-1.5) of all problems/diagnoses. Significant associations of GPN involvement included patient age, male sex, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status, non-English-speaking background (NESB) and the patient being new to the practice. Larger practice size, the particular training organisation, and the problem/diagnosis being new and not a chronic disease were other associations.

CONCLUSIONS

Associations with Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status and NESB status suggest GPNs are addressing healthcare needs of these under-serviced groups. But GPNs may be underutilised in chronic disease care.

Nurse-led clinic: effective and efficient delivery of assessment and review of patients with hepatitis B and C

BACKGROUND

Hepatology and gastroenterology services are increasingly utilising the skills and experience of nurse practitioners and nurse specialists to help meet the increasing demand for healthcare. A new nurse-led assessment clinic has been established in the liver clinic at Geelong Hospital to utilise the expertise of nurses to assess and triage new patients and streamline their pathway through the healthcare system.

AIM

The aim of this study is to assess quantitatively the first 2 years of operation of the nurse assessment clinic at Geelong Hospital, and to assess advantages and disadvantages of the nurse-led clinic.

METHODS

Data were extracted retrospectively from clinical records of new patients at the liver clinic. Quarterly 1-month periods were recorded over 2 years. Patients were categorised according to the path through which they saw a physician, including missed and rescheduled appointments. The number of appointments, the waiting time from referral to appointments and the number of 'did-not-attend' occasions were analysed before and after the institution of the nurse-led assessment clinic. The Mann-Whitney rank sum test of ordinal data was used to generate median wait times.

RESULTS

There was shown to be a statistically significant longer waiting time for physician appointment if seen by the nurse first. The difference in waiting time was 10 days. However, there was also a reduction in the number of missed appointments at the subsequent physician clinic. Other advantages have also been identified, including effective triage of patients and organisation of appropriate investigations from the initial nurse assessment.

Consumer satisfaction with practice nursing: a cross-sectional survey in New Zealand general practice

An important consideration in health service delivery is ensuring that services meet consumer needs. Whilst nursing services in primary care have grown internationally, there has been limited exploration of consumer satisfaction with these services. This paper reports a descriptive survey that sought to evaluate consumers’ perceptions of New Zealand practice nurses (PNs). One thousand, five hundred and five patients who received nursing services at one of 20 participating New Zealand general practices completed a survey tool between December 2010 and December 2011. The 64-item self-report survey tool contained the 21-item General Practice Nurse Satisfaction (GPNS) scale. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Internal consistency of the GPNS scale was high (Cronbach’s α 0.97). Participants aged over 60 years and those of European descent were significantly less satisfied with the PN (P = 0.001). Controlling for these characteristics, participants who had visited the PN more than four times previously were 1.34 times (adjusted odds ratio 1.34 (95% CI: 1.06–1.70) more satisfied than the comparison group (up to 4 previous visits to PN). In addition to the further validation of the psychometric properties of the GPNS scale in a different setting, the study also revealed a high level of satisfaction with PNs, with increased satisfaction with an increased number of visits. Nevertheless, the lower levels of satisfaction with PNs in the older age group as well as those of European descent, warrants further examination. The study also highlights the need for PNs and consumers to discuss consumer’s expectations of services and create a shared understanding of treatment goals.

The role of practice nurses in providing palliative and end-of-life care to older patients with long-term conditions

BACKGROUND

Many people with palliative care needs will receive care from a primary care provider. However, GPs often have limited time to deal with these patients' supportive care needs, which is where primary care nurses can make a significant contribution.

AIM

The aim of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the role of practice nurses in the provision of palliative and end-of-life (EoL) care to older patients with long-term conditions.

METHODS

Twenty one practice nurses from a selection of rural and urban areas in New Zealand were interviewed about their EoL care experiences.

RESULTS

Three themes were identified relating to EoL care: variability of practice nurse involvement in EoL care, limited education and training in EoL care, and what practice nurses can (and do) contribute to EoL care.

CONCLUSION

Priority should be given to developing the palliative care skills and knowledge of primary care nurses and their ability to provide the necessary support to the growing number of patients who will require palliative care.

How is Primary Health Care conceptualised in nursing in Australia? A review of the literature

Australia, in common with many other countries, is expanding the role of Primary Health Care (PHC) to manage the growing burden of chronic disease and prevent hospitalisation. Australia's First National Primary Health Care Strategy released in 2010 places general practice at the centre of care delivery, reflecting a constitutional division of labour in which the Commonwealth government's primary means of affecting care delivery in this sector is through rebates for services delivered from the universal healthcare system Medicare. A review of Australian nursing literature was undertaken for 2006-2011. This review explores three issues in relation to these changes: How PHC is conceptualised within Australian nursing literature; who is viewed as providing PHC; and barriers and enablers to the provision of comprehensive PHC. A review of the literature suggests that the terms 'PHC' and 'primary care' are used interchangeably and that PHC is now commonly associated with services provided by practice nurses. Four structural factors are identified for a shift away from comprehensive PHC, namely fiscal barriers, educational preparation for primary care practice, poor role definition and interprofessional relationships. The paper concludes that while moves towards increasing capacity in general practice have enhanced nursing roles, current policy and the nature of private business funding alongside some medical opposition limit opportunities for Australian nurses working in general practice.

Thoughts about conceptual models, theories, and literature reviews

This essay focuses on various types of literature reviews, including scoping reviews, realist reviews, and integrative reviews. As contributions to understanding the state of nursing science about a particular topic, each literature review should be but rarely is guided by a nursing conceptual model, and the research findings should be but rarely are interpreted as theories that were generated or tested. Examples that are exceptions to usual literature reviews are given.

New graduate nurses as knowledge brokers in general practice in New Zealand: a constructivist grounded theory

Practice nursing in New Zealand is not well described in the literature. One survey illustrated that most of the New Zealand practice nurses sampled did not know of the country's two premier evidence-based health websites. A recent review compared general practice in the UK, New Zealand and Australia and found that whereas there had been significant developments in empowering the practice nurse workforce to run nurse-led clinics in the UK, New Zealand and Australia lagged behind. The aim of this reported constructivist grounded theory study was to investigate practice nurses' use of information. Conducted in Auckland, New Zealand, data were collected through ethnographic techniques in one general practice between September 2009 and January 2010 to enhance theoretical sensitivity to the area of information use. Subsequently, six experienced practice nurses (one twice after moving jobs) and five new graduate nurses from five different general practices were interviewed, using open-ended questions, between January 2010 and August 2011. Concurrent data collection and analysis occurred throughout the study period. The use of memos, the constant comparative method, data categorisation and finally, data abstraction resulted in the final theory of reciprocal role modelling. Experienced practice nurses role modelled clinical skills to new graduate nurses. Unexpectedly, new graduate nurses were unconscious experts at sourcing information and role modelled this skill to experienced practice nurses. Once this attribute was acknowledged by the experienced practice nurse, mutual learning occurred that enabled both groups of nurses to become better practitioners. Graduate nurses of the millennial generation were identified as a resource for experienced practice nurses who belong to the baby boomer generation and generation X.

Realistic nurse-led policy implementation, optimization and evaluation: novel methodological exemplar

AIM

To report the first large-scale realistic nurse-led implementation, optimization and evaluation of a complex children's continuing-care policy.

BACKGROUND

Health policies are increasingly complex, involve multiple Government departments and frequently fail to translate into better patient outcomes. Realist methods have not yet been adapted for policy implementation.

DESIGN

Research methodology - Evaluation using theory-based realist methods for policy implementation.

METHODS

An expert group developed the policy and supporting tools. Implementation and evaluation design integrated diffusion of innovation theory with multiple case study and adapted realist principles. Practitioners in 12 English sites worked with Consultant Nurse implementers to manipulate the programme theory and logic of new decision-support tools and care pathway to optimize local implementation. Methods included key-stakeholder interviews, developing practical diffusion of innovation processes using key-opinion leaders and active facilitation strategies and a mini-community of practice. New and existing processes and outcomes were compared for 137 children during 2007-2008.

RESULTS

Realist principles were successfully adapted to a shorter policy implementation and evaluation time frame. Important new implementation success factors included facilitated implementation that enabled 'real-time' manipulation of programme logic and local context to best-fit evolving theories of what worked; using local experiential opinion to change supporting tools to more realistically align with local context and what worked; and having sufficient existing local infrastructure to support implementation. Ten mechanisms explained implementation success and differences in outcomes between new and existing processes.

CONCLUSIONS

Realistic policy implementation methods have advantages over top-down approaches, especially where clinical expertise is low and unlikely to diffuse innovations 'naturally' without facilitated implementation and local optimization.

Addressing chronic and complex conditions: what evidence is there regarding the role primary healthcare nurses can play?

Primary healthcare services in Australia need to respond to the needs of an ageing population and the rising prevalence of chronic and complex conditions in that population. This paper reports on the results of a comprehensive Australian and international literature review on nurse-led and nurse-involved primary healthcare interventions with a particular focus on those serving people with chronic and complex conditions and hard to reach populations. The key question this review addresses is: what role can nurses play in primary healthcare to manage people with chronic and complex conditions? International evidence demonstrates that nurses working in primary care provide effective care, have high patient satisfaction and patients are more likely to comply with nurse instructions than general practitioner instructions. Nurses can provide care equivalent to doctors within their scope of practice but have longer consultations. Lifestyle interventions provided by nurses have been shown to be effective for cardiac care, diabetes care, smoking cessation and obesity. The nursing workforce can provide appropriate, cost-effective and high-quality primary healthcare within their scope of practice. What is known about the topic? The prevalence of chronic disease worldwide is increasing due to our lifestyles and ageing populations combined with our extended lifespans. People living in rural and remote areas have higher rates of disease and injury, and poorer access to healthcare. In particular, many older people suffer multiple chronic and complex conditions that require significant clinical management. Nurses are playing increasingly important roles in the delivery of primary healthcare worldwide and international evidence demonstrates that nurses can provide equivalent care to doctors within their scope of practice but have longer consultations. What does this paper add? There is clear international evidence that nurses can play a more significant role in supporting preventive activities and addressing the needs of an ageing population with chronic and complex conditions. In contrast with earlier evidence, recent evidence suggests that nurses may provide the most cost-effective care. What are the implications for practitioners? Adequately prepared nurses can provide a range of effective and cost-effective primary healthcare services in chronic disease management. Studies report that patients are satisfied with nursing care. Nurses should be utilised to their full scope of practice to provide ongoing care to these populations.

Australian nurses in general practice, enabling the provision of cervical screening and well women's health care services: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND

The role of Australian general practice nurses (PNs) has developed exponentially since the introduction of service based funding in 2005. In particular, their role has expanded to include cervical screening and well women's health care services provided under the supervision of a general practitioner (GP). While previous research identifies barriers to the provision of these services, this study sought to investigate enablers for nurse led care in this area.

METHODS

A number of grounded theory methods including constantly comparing data, concurrent data collection and analysis and theoretical sampling are utilised in this qualitative, exploratory study. A purposive sample of PNs who completed the required program of education in order to provide cervical screening and well women's health care services was recruited to the study. Data is presented in categories, however a limitation of the study is that a fully integrated grounded theory was unable to be produced due to sampling constraints.

RESULTS

Four enablers for the implementation of a change in the PN role to include cervical screening and well women's health checks are identified in this study. These enablers are: GPs being willing to relinquish the role of cervical screener and well women's health service provider; PNs being willing to expand their role to include cervical screening and well women's health services; clients preferring a female practice nurse to meet their cervical screening and well women's health needs; and the presence of a culture that fosters interprofessional teamwork. Seven strategies for successfully implementing change from the perspective of PNs are also constructed from the data. This study additionally highlights the lack of feedback on smear quality provided to PNs cervical screeners and well women's health service providers.

CONCLUSIONS

The influence of consumers on the landscape of primary care service delivery in Australia is of particular note in this study. Developing interprofessional teams that maximise each health care provider's role will be fundamental to comprehensive service delivery in the future.

A spatial analysis of the expanding roles of nurses in general practice

Background

Changes to the workforce and organisation of general practice are occurring rapidly in response to the Australian health care reform agenda, and the changing nature of the medical profession. In particular, the last five years has seen the rapid introduction and expansion of a nursing workforce in Australian general practices. This potentially creates pressures on current infrastructure in general practice.

Method

This study used a mixed methods, ‘rapid appraisal’ approach involving observation, photographs, and interviews.

Results

Nurses utilise space differently to GPs, and this is part of the diversity they bring to the general practice environment. At the same time their roles are partly shaped by the ways space is constructed in general practices.

Conclusion

The fluidity of nursing roles in general practice suggests that nurses require a versatile space in which to maximize their role and contribution to the general practice team.