Facilitators and Barriers to Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Practice in the United States: A Systematic Review.

INTRODUCTION: The pediatric nurse practitioner (PNP) workforce was designed to improve child health equity. We aimed to systematically review the evidence on facilitators and barriers to PNP practice. METHOD: We included empirical studies on PNP practice in the United States and excluded studies with non-identifiable PNP data. We applied Joanna Briggs Institute tools to appraise studies and applied critical interpretive synthesis principles to synthesize. RESULTS: The final sample is 26 studies, mostly published before 2013 and observational. Prescriptive privileges, training program availability, organizational climate, and telehealth are facilitators. Mandated physician supervision, reduced pediatric curricula, geographically disparate training programs, and poor data infrastructure are barriers. The sample is limited by a moderate to high risk of bias. DISCUSSION: Evidence suggests modifiable factors impact PNP practice and could have important implications for child health equity. We offer a theoretical model to guide robust research studying the PNP workforce and health equity.

The Perspectives of Advanced Practice Provider Directors on Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Alignment and Hiring.

Demand for acute care is forecasted to grow in the United States. To meet this demand, nurse practitioners (NPs) are increasingly employed in acute care settings. Yet, there is concern about an adequate supply of acute care NPs given demand. Further, professional nursing organizations recommend aligning an NP's role with their education, certification, licensure, and practice. Given workforce constraints and the policy environment, little is known about how hospitals approach hiring NPs for acute care roles. The purpose of this study was to explore advanced practice provider (APP) directors' approaches to hiring NPs within the context of alignment and describe factors that influence hiring decisions. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 17 APP directors in hospitals and health systems. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and coded using an iterative, hybrid inductive and deductive method. Two themes emerged: (1) local factors that inform aligned hiring and (2) adaptive hiring responses to changing environments. Practices around hiring NPs varied across institutions influenced by organization and state policies and regulations, workforce availability, and institutional culture. Most APP directors recognized trends towards hiring aligned NPs for acute care roles. However, they also identified barriers to fully aligning their NP workforce and described adaptive strategies including hiring physician assistants, building relationships with APP schools, and leveraging hospital resources to develop the APP workforce to meet care delivery demands given the current NP workforce supply. Future research is needed to assess widespread practices around acute care NP alignment and the implications of alignment for patient and organizational outcomes.

Advancement of research on nurse practitioners: Setting a research agenda.

BACKGROUND: Primary care delivered by nurse practitioners (NPs) helps to meet the United States' growing demand for care and improves patient outcomes. Yet, barriers impede NP practice. Knowledge of these barriers is limited, hindering opportunities to eliminate them. PURPOSE: We convened a 1.5-day conference to develop a research agenda to advance evidence on the primary care NP workforce. METHODS: Thirty experts gathered in New York City for a conference in 2022. The conference included plenary sessions, small group discussions, and a prioritization process to identify areas for future research and research questions. DISCUSSION: The research agenda includes top-ranked research questions within five categories: (a) policy regulations and implications for care, quality, and access; (b) systems affecting NP practice; (c) health equity and the NP workforce; (d) NP education and workforce dynamics, and (e) international perspectives. CONCLUSION: The agenda can advance evidence on the NP workforce to guide policy and practice.

Career Choices and Experiences in Role Transition: A Multistate Survey of Pediatric-Focused Hospital-Based Nurse Practitioners.

INTRODUCTION: We examined factors influencing pediatric hospital-based APPs' career decisions and described the transition to practice experiences. METHOD: We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive electronic survey using a novel instrument to examine APP career decisions and transition to practice experiences among APPs in four Southeastern children's hospitals. RESULTS: There were 158 respondents composed of family nurse practitioners (NPs) (30%), primary care pediatric NPs (24%), and acute care pediatric NPs (18%). APPs chose their career to further their education (46%) and because of interest in pediatrics (18%). Most APPs had experience in pediatrics on APP graduation and were well prepared for the role (47%) and to care for pediatric patients (56%). Nearly two-thirds of APPs had an orientation. DISCUSSION: Early exposure to pediatrics influenced APP career choices and increased career preparedness. Although most APPs had an orientation, future studies should assess the impact of orientation on patient, professional, and organizational outcomes.

Changes in Use and Access to Care for Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) are vulnerable to health care disruption, and policies were adopted to mitigate COVID-19-related disruptions. We compare CYSHCN use of and access to care in 2019 to 2020. METHOD: Using the National Survey of Children's Health, we identified CYSHCN and assessed differences in health care use, unmet health care needs, frustrations accessing care, and barriers to care using multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The final sample included 17,065 CYSHCN. In the fully adjusted analysis, there was a significant decrease in odds of accessing preventive dental care (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 0.63; 95%confidence interval [CI], 0.51-0.77) and increased odds of unmet mental health care needs (AOR,1.34; 95% CI, 1.02-1.77). The inability to obtain an appointment was a barrier that increased during the study period (AOR, 2.77; 95% CI, 1.71-4.46). DISCUSSION: Novel pandemic related policies may have mitigated negative impacts on health care access for CYSHCN.

Guidance for Structuring a Pediatric Intermediate Care Unit.

The purpose of this policy statement is to update the 2004 American Academy of Pediatrics clinical report and provide enhanced guidance for institutions, administrators, and providers in the development and operation of a pediatric intermediate care unit (IMCU). Since 2004, there have been significant advances in pediatric medical, surgical, and critical care that have resulted in an evolution in the acuity and complexity of children potentially requiring IMCU admission. A group of 9 clinical experts in pediatric critical care, hospital medicine, intermediate care, and surgery developed a consensus on priority topics requiring updates, reviewed the relevant evidence, and, through a series of virtual meetings, developed the document. The intended audience of this policy statement is broad and includes pediatric critical care professionals, pediatric hospitalists, pediatric surgeons, other pediatric medical and surgical subspecialists, general pediatricians, nurses, social workers, care coordinators, hospital administrators, health care funders, and policymakers, primarily in resource-rich settings. Key priority topics were delineation of core principles for an IMCU, clarification of target populations, staffing recommendations, and payment.

Evaluation of the Culture of Safety and Quality in Pediatric Primary Care Practices.

OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this article were to describe the perceptions of the culture of safety in pediatric primary care and evaluate whether organizational factors and staff roles are associated with perceptions of the culture of safety. METHODS: We conducted a secondary data analysis using 2020 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Medical Office Survey on Patient Safety Culture to examine the culture of safety and quality in pediatric primary care practices. We used descriptive statistics and calculated differences in perceptions of patient safety and quality based on practice size, ownership, and staff roles using bivariate and logistic regressions. RESULTS: The sample included 99 pediatric primary care practices and 1228 staff (physicians n = 169, advanced practice providers n = 70, nurses n = 338, and administration/management n = 651). The "teamwork" domain had the highest positive ratings (≥81.6% positive responses), whereas the "work pressure and pace" domain had the lowest positive ratings (≤28.6% positive response). There were no differences in perceptions of safety or quality based on practice size or ownership. However, there were differences based on staff roles, specifically between administration/management and direct care staff. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, perceptions of the culture of safety and quality in pediatric primary care practices were positive. Differences in perceptions existed based on staff role. Future studies are needed to determine whether differences are clinically meaningful and how to narrow differences in perceptions among staff and improve of the culture of safety as a mechanism to improve the safety and quality of pediatric primary care.

A Roadmap for Successful State Sepsis Regulations-Lessons From New York.

New York state implemented the first state-level sepsis regulations in 2013. These regulations were associated with improved mortality, leading other states to consider similar steps. Our objective was to provide insight into New York state's sepsis policy making process, creating a roadmap for policymakers in other states considering similar regulations. DESIGN: Qualitative study using semistructured interviews. SETTING: We recruited key stakeholders who had knowledge of the New York state sepsis regulations. SUBJECTS: Thirteen key stakeholders from three groups included four New York state policymakers and seven clinicians and hospital association leaders involved in the creation and implementation of the 2013 New York state sepsis regulations, as well as two members of patient advocacy groups engaged in sepsis advocacy. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We used iterative, inductive thematic analysis to identify themes related to participant perceptions of the New York state sepsis policy, factors that influenced the policy's perceived successes, and opportunities for improvement. We identified several factors that facilitated success. Among these were that policymakers engaged a diverse array of stakeholders in development, allowing them to address potential barriers to implementation and create early buy-in. Policymakers also paid specific attention to the balance between the desire for comprehensive reporting and the burden of data collection, narrowly focusing on "essential" sepsis-related data elements to reduce the burden on hospitals. In addition, the regulations touched on all three major domains of sepsis quality-structure, process, and outcomes-going beyond a data collection to give hospitals tools to improve sepsis care. CONCLUSIONS: We identified factors that distinguish the New York sepsis regulations from less successful sepsis polices at the federal level. Ultimately, lessons from New York state provide valuable guidance to policymakers and hospital officials seeking to develop and implement policies that will improve sepsis quality.

Factors Associated With Nurses' Knowledge of and Perceived Value in Evidence-Based Practices.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about how the education and specialty certification of intensive care unit nurses influence patients' outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationships between critical care nurses' education level and specialty certification, their individual psychosocial beliefs about their place on the intensive care unit team (in relation to 3 factors: professional identity, self-efficacy, and role clarity), and their perceptions of evidence-based practices used in the intensive care unit. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was emailed to nurses in 12 adult intensive care units within 6 hospitals in a single, integrated health care system. RESULTS: Of 268 respondents, 180 (71%) had a bachelor of science degree or higher, and 71 (26%) had critical care certification. Compared with noncertified nurses, certified nurses reported greater knowledge of spontaneous breathing trials (4.6 vs 4.4 on a 5-point scale, P = .03) and lung-protective ventilation (4.2 vs 3.9, P = .05). Certified nurses reported significantly higher self-efficacy (4.5 vs 4.3 on a 5-point scale, P = .001) and role clarity (4.4 vs 4.2, P = .05) than noncertified nurses. Certification was also associated with greater perceived value in specific practices (daily interruption of sedation: adjusted odds ratio 2.5 [95% CI, 1.0-6.3], P = .05; lung-protective ventilation: adjusted odds ratio, 1.9 [95% CI, 1.1-3.3], P = .03). Education level was not associated with greater knowledge of or perceived value in evidence-based practices. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing specialty certification was associated with nurses' individual psychosocial beliefs and their perceptions of evidence-based practices in the intensive care unit, whereas education level was not. Supporting nurses in obtaining specialty certification could assist with the adoption of evidence-based practices as a means to improve quality of care in the intensive care unit.

Regulation of pediatric intensive care unit nurse practitioner practice: A national survey.

PURPOSE: To describe the extent to which organizational regulation of pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) nurse practitioner (NP) practice and prescriptive authority aligns with state scope-of-practice (SSOP) regulations, to examine differences between PICU medical directors' and NPs' report of regulation, and to describe organizational-level restriction of PICU NP practice. METHODS: A 34-item national, quantitative cross-sectional descriptive survey of US PICU medical directors and NPs included demographic, institutional characteristics, and PICU NP regulation and role-related questions. Invitations to participate were sent between October 2016 and January 2017. RESULTS: Respondents (n = 121, 60 PICU NPs and 61 PICU medical directors) reported that 30% of PICU NPs have additional organizational restrictions beyond their SSOP practice authority and 11% have prescriptive authority regulations that exceed those required by the SSOP regulations. Medical directors and lead NPs showed agreement in reports of NP practice regulation. Variation in organizational-level restrictions of privileging, billing, and reporting structure practices were identified. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: As more states move to full SSOP regulatory environments, organizational regulation of NP practice can impede attainment of full practice authority. Future research is needed to determine whether variations in regulation of PICU NP practice influence patient outcomes, interdisciplinary collaboration, and NP role actualization.