How is complexity measured and detected among community dwelling older people aged 65 years and over? A scoping review.

AIM: To identify and explore tools that measured and detected complexity of care among community dwelling people aged 65 years and older. DATA SOURCES: Databases were searched for articles published up to 23 September 2022 including CINAHL, EMBASE and MEDLINE, Cochrane database for trials and grey literature. METHODS: A scoping review was conducted and reported in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. Eligible articles included those with participants aged over 65 years, living in the community and studies that included care complexity detection or assessment and how this related to care delivered. Covidence was used to screen titles, abstracts and full-text articles. RESULTS: Eighteen full texts were reviewed; four studies were included in the final review. All selected studies included people aged over 65 years living in the community. A high level of reliability for the items included in the interventions was found. The selected studies included tools for assessing older person's needs with nurses involved in the assessment. CONCLUSION: The review identified four tools for measuring complexity in community dwelling older people. Two tools have the capacity to objectively measure complexity due to the holistic nature of items included and appear easy to use to support clinical judgement decisions. IMPACT: The review places a spotlight on the concept of complexity and highlights the lack of definition of care complexity. The synthesized result highlights the need to explore detection of care complexity of older people further and consider ways of supporting clinical judgement and decision making of community nurses. The use of a validated tool may enhance clinical judgement regarding care complexity and may lead to a more consistent and timely approach to care. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: During the development phase, the study was presented to a consumer group from the researcher's workplace. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42022299336.

Building a new life: a qualitative study of how family carers deal with significant changes.

BACKGROUND: Family carers of persons living with dementia who are residing in long term care (LTC), often experience significant changes in their roles and relationships which affects mental and physical health. Research has focused on describing the carers' experience, but not on how they deal with these changes or their perceptions of support needs. The purpose of this study was to explore how family carers of persons living with dementia residing in LTC deal with significant changes and to understand how best to support these carers. METHODS: Eight face-to-face audio-recorded focus group interviews were conducted with 45 participants from September 2019 to January 2020, as part of a larger study aimed at guiding the adaptation of an online toolkit to support family carers of persons living with dementia residing in LTC. Applied thematic analysis was used to analyze the focus group data. FINDINGS/RESULTS: Carers dealt with the significant changes they experienced through the process of "building a new life" consisting of two sub-processes: a) building new relationships (with their family member, LTC staff and others outside of LTC), and b) finding space for themselves (sharing of care and finding balance). Understanding dementia, support from others (staff, family and friends), connecting with resources, and being included in care decisions helped carers build a new life. CONCLUSION: The process of building a new life describes the ways that family carers deal with the life-altering changes they experienced when a family member is admitted to LTC. Carers may be supported in building their new life, by providing them with information about dementia and how to relate to staff and their family member living with dementia. The quality of care being provided and the LTC environment may also play an important role in how carers deal with the significant changes they experience.

Rethinking Resilience: Nurses and Nurse Leaders Emerging From the Post-COVID-19 Environment.

Nurses and nurse leaders are working in unprecedented intense and demanding environments, and the COVID-19 pandemic continues to place strain on their mental well-being. If stressful work conditions remain at extraordinary high levels, nurses and leaders may ultimately leave their positions, creating even more uncertainty in the workforce. Enhancing individual resilience has become a superficial response in retaining nurses during a global nursing shortage. We argue that resilience is not solely an individual responsibility. Rather, resilience it is a mutual responsibility between the individual and the organization. In this article, we discuss how nurse leaders can foster organizational resilience while also enhancing their own individual resilience within the current pandemic environment, and as we transition to a post-COVID environment.

Study protocol: pragmatic randomized control trial of my tools 4 care- in care (MT4C-in care) a web-based tool for family Carers of persons with dementia residing in long term care.

BACKGROUND: When a family member resides in long term care facility (LTC), family carers continue caregiving and have been found to have decreases in mental health. The aim of My Tools 4 Care - In Care (an online intervention) is to support carers of persons living with dementia residing in LTC through transitions and increase their self-efficacy, hope, social support and mental health. This article comprises the protocol for a study to evaluate My Tools 4 Care-In Care (MT4C-In Care) by asking the following research questions: 1) Is there a 2 month (immediately post-intervention) and 4 month (2 months post-intervention) increase in mental health, general self-efficacy, social support and hope, and decrease in grief and loneliness, in carers of a person living with dementia residing in LTC using MT4C-In CARE compared to an educational control group? 2) Do carers of persons living with dementia residing in LTC perceive My Tools 4 Care- In Care helps them with the transitions they experience? METHODS: This study is a single blinded pragmatic mixed methods randomized controlled trial. Approximately 280 family carers of older persons (65 years of age and older) with dementia residing in LTC will be recruited for this study. Data will be collected at three time points: baseline, 2 month, and 4 months. Based on the feasibility study, we hypothesize that participants using MT4C-In Care will report significant increases in hope, general self-efficacy, social support and mental health quality of life, and significant decreases in grief and loneliness from baseline, as compared to an educational control group. To determine differences between groups and over time, generalized estimating equations analysis will be used. Qualitative descriptive analysis will be used to further evaluate MT4C-In Care and if it supports carers through transitions. DISCUSSION: Data collection will begin in four Canadian provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan) in February 2020 and is expected to be completed in June 2021. The results will inform policy and practice as MT4C-In Care can be revised for local contexts and posted on websites such as those hosted by the Alzheimer Society of Canada. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04226872 ClinicalTrials.gov Registered 09 January 2020 Protocol Version #2 Feb 19, 2020.

Transitioning to practice in long-term care: New graduate nurses' experience of an accelerated transition to nurse leader.

AIM: To describe the transition to practice experience of new graduate nurses in long-term care. BACKGROUND: Nursing is facing increasing pressures related to outpaced demands and a greater acuity of patients accessing services. Hiring new graduate nurses into long-term care (LTC) is a strategy to counteract these pressures, however, little is known about the transition experience of new graduate Registered and Licensed Practical Nurses in this setting. DESIGN: A qualitative, explanatory case-study design explored the transition to practice experience of seven new graduate nurses and the observations of two LTC directors from two homes. The study focused on the self-described transition to practice experience and those contextual factors present in LTC that influenced this experience. METHODS: Thematic analysis of semi-structured interview transcripts and key document review were completed in 2017. RESULTS: Results of this study introduced contextual factors that must be considered in LTC as each influences the transition to practice experienced by new graduate nurses. These factors included five processes that resulted in an accelerated transition to practice experience: (a) struggling to meet expectations; (b) practicing in isolation; (c) relying on others; (d) developing skill and confidence despite challenges; and (e) recognizing complexity and value in LTC practice. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study refute universally applied transition to practice theory and contribute new understanding of the experience of the new graduate nurses in LTC settings. This study reinforces the need for greater support for nursing graduates in LTC settings.

The Similarities and Differences in Transition to Practice Experiences for New-Graduate RNs and Practical Nurses in Long-term Care.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe the transition-to-practice experience of new-graduate nurses (NGNs) in long-term-care (LTC) settings. BACKGROUND: Transitioning to professional practice is a challenging time for an NGN. This experience is scarcely described for RNs outside of acute care settings and not described for the LPN. METHODS: A qualitative case study was used to explore the described transition-to-practice experience of new-graduate RNs and LPNs in LTC. RESULTS: This study revealed that the transition-to-practice experience of new-graduate LPNs was similar to the experience described by RNs. Differences in experience were related to leadership roles in the setting. CONCLUSIONS: Findings contribute to new understanding of the experience of the NGN in LTC settings. This study reinforces the need for greater support for nursing graduates in this setting.

Models of partnership within family-centred care in the acute paediatric setting: a discussion paper.

AIMS: A discussion of partnership in the context of family-centred care in the acute paediatric setting, through a critical analysis of partnership models. BACKGROUND: Paediatric healthcare practitioners understand the importance of family-centred care, but struggle with how to translate the core tenets into action and are confused by several rival terms. Partnering relationships are included in definitions of family-centred care, yet less is known about strategies to fully engage or support parents in these partnerships. A rigorous examination of concepts embedded in family-centred care such as partnership may provide a better understanding of how to implement the broader concept and support exemplary care in today's clinical practice environment. DESIGN: Discussion paper. DATA SOURCES: Electronic search (January 2000 - December 2014) performed on CINAHL, Medline, EMBASE, Sociological Abstracts and PsychINFO using keywords partnership, family-centred care and conceptual framework. Eligible references were drawn from the databases, reference lists and expert sources. Eight models met inclusion criteria and had currency and relevance to the acute paediatric setting. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Nurses should continue exploring partnership in various paediatric contexts given the wide-ranging definitions, lack of operational indicators and need for stronger relational statements in current models. An examination of key strategies, barriers and facilitators of partnership is recommended. CONCLUSION: One partnership model had both high overall maturity and best fit with family-centred care principles. All models originate from Western and developed countries, indicating that future partnership models should be more geographically, culturally and economically diverse.

Quality-based procedures in Ontario: exploring health-care leaders' responses.

AIM: To examine health-care leaders' initial response to the implementation of orthopaedic quality based procedures (QBPs) in hospitals across Ontario, Canada. BACKGROUND: In 2012, Ontario, Canada shifted 91 hospitals to a patient-based funding (PBF) approach. This approach funds health-care organisations based on the number of patients treated with select procedures known as QBPs. METHODS: An exploratory descriptive design was employed to better understand health-care leaders' early implementation experiences. Seventy organisational leaders from 20 hospitals participated in six focus groups and four interviews to discuss their initial responses to the implementation of two QBPs (primary unilateral hip replacement and primary unilateral knee replacement). Qualitative data underwent content analysis. FINDINGS: Three key major themes emerged; (1) responding to change, (2) leading the change and (3) managing the change. Within each of these themes, barriers and benefits were identified. CONCLUSION: Leaders are accepting of PBF and QBPs. However, challenges exist that require further exploration including the need for a strong infrastructure, accurate and timely clinical and financial data, and policies to prevent unintended consequences. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Implementing QBPs requires careful planning, adequate and appropriate resources, vertical and horizontal communication strategies, and policies to ensure that unintended consequences are avoided and positive outcomes achieved.

Usability evaluation with mental health professionals and young people to develop an Internet-based cognitive-behaviour therapy program for adolescents with anxiety disorders.

BACKGROUND: Use of the Internet to deliver cognitive behavioural therapy, a frontline treatment for anxiety disorders, is emerging as an option to increase access to treatment among adolescents with anxiety disorders. This study examined the usability of the Internet-based component of Breathe, a CBT program designed for adolescents with mild to moderate anxiety and impairments. METHODS: A mixed-method usability testing design with semi-structured interviews, task completion, and survey by trained usability moderators was undertaken with two interactive cycles to determine the usability (ease of use, efficiency, errors, and user satisfaction) of the user interface and content areas of the program. Purposeful sampling was used to recruit mental health clinicians with expertise in treating adolescent anxiety disorders and young people aged 15 to 24 years involved. Testing involved using Web-conferencing software that allowed remote participation through personal computers. Two testing cycles involved participants completing structured 'think aloud' and 'cognitive walkthrough' tasks within the program. At the end of each cycle participants completed a 15-item global usability evaluation survey and were asked a series of open-ended questions. Descriptive and simple content analyses were used to identify and score usability issues for frequency and severity. RESULTS: Five clinicians and four young people (all < 20 years of age) participated. Most participants described their computer skills as 'good' (60% clinicians, 50% young people), and attitudes toward Internet-based health care ranged from negative (75% young people) to positive (60% clinicians, 25% young people). Scores from the global usability evaluation after both testing cycles ranged from 3.5 to 5 out of 5 in strong agreement/support of the program in terms of user performance indicators (i.e., learnability, efficiency and number of errors) and user satisfaction. Participants were able to complete all critical tasks with minimal errors. Errors and issues identified during testing were predominantly around enhancements to the visual design and navigational support. Opinions across usability elements did not differ between young people and clinician participants. CONCLUSIONS: A multi-method remote usability approach provided the opportunity to improve the technical interface, therapeutic messaging and user experience of an Internet-based treatment program for adolescent anxiety disorders.

An integrative review of the factors influencing new graduate nurse engagement in interprofessional collaboration.

AIM: To analyse critically the barriers and facilitators to new graduate nurse engagement in interprofessional collaboration. BACKGROUND: The acculturation of new graduate nurses must be considered in strategies that address the global nursing shortage. Interprofessional collaboration may support the transition and retention of new graduate nurses. DESIGN: Whittemore and Knafl's revised framework for integrative reviews guided the analysis. DATA SOURCES: A comprehensive multi-step search (published 2000-2012) of the North American interprofessional collaboration and new graduate literature indexed in the CINAHL, Proquest, Pubmed, PsychINFO and Cochrane databases was performed. A sample of 26 research and non-research reports met the inclusion criteria. REVIEW METHODS: All 26 articles were included in the review. A systematic and iterative approach was used to extract and reduce the data to draw conclusions. RESULTS: The analysis revealed several barriers and facilitators to new graduate engagement in interprofessional collaboration. These factors exist at the individual, team and organizational levels and are largely consistent with conceptual and empirical analyses of interprofessional collaboration conducted in other populations. However, knowledge and critical thinking emerged as factors not identified in previous analyses. CONCLUSION: Despite a weak-to-moderate literature sample, this review suggests implications for team and organizational development, education and research that may support new graduate nurse engagement in IPC.

A mixed methods exploration of the team and organizational factors that may predict new graduate nurse engagement in collaborative practice.

Although engagement in collaborative practice is reported to support the role transition and retention of new graduate (NG) nurses, it is not known how to promote collaborative practice among these nurses. This mixed methods study explored the team and organizational factors that may predict NG nurse engagement in collaborative practice. A total of 514 NG nurses from Ontario, Canada completed the Collaborative Practice Assessment Tool. Sixteen NG nurses participated in follow-up interviews. The team and organizational predictors of NG engagement in collaborative practice were as follows: satisfaction with the team (ß = 0.278; p = 0.000), number of team strategies (ß = 0.338; p = 0.000), participation in a mentorship or preceptorship experience (ß = 0.137; p = 0.000), accessibility of manager (ß = 0.123; p = 0.001), and accessibility and proximity of educator or professional practice leader (ß = 0.126; p = 0.001 and ß = 0.121; p = 0.002, respectively). Qualitative analysis revealed the team facilitators to be respect, team support and face-to-face interprofessional interactions. Organizational facilitators included supportive leadership, participation in a preceptorship or mentorship experience and time. Interventions designed to facilitate NG engagement in collaborative practice should consider these factors.

Factors that facilitate registered nurses in their first-line nurse manager role.

AIM: To determine the factors that attract and retain Registered Nurses in the first-line nurse manager role. BACKGROUND: The first-line nurse manger role is pivotal in health-care organisations. National demographics suggest that Canada will face a first-line nurse manager shortage because of retirement in the next decade. Determination of factors that attract and retain Registered Nurses will assist organisations and policy makers to employ strategies to address this shortage. METHODS: The study used an exploratory, descriptive qualitative approach, consisting of semi-structured individual interviews with 11 Registered Nurses in first-line nurse manager roles. RESULTS: The findings revealed a discrepancy between the factors that attract and retain Registered Nurses in the first-line nurse manager role, underscored the importance of the mentor role and confirmed the challenges encountered by first-line nurse managers practicing in the current health-care environment. CONCLUSIONS: The first-line nurse manager role has been under studied. Further research is warranted to understand which strategies are most effective in supporting first-line nurse managers. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: Strategies to support nurses in the first-line nurse manager role are discussed for the individual, programme, organisation and health-care system/policy levels.

Experiences of Frontline Managers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Recommendations for Organizational Resilience.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a global health crisis directly impacting the healthcare system. Healthcare leaders influence and shape the ability of an organization to cope with and recover from a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Their actions serve to guide and support nurses' actions through unpredictable health service demands. The purpose of this paper was to examine frontline managers' experiences and organizational leadership responses that activated organizational resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to learn for ongoing and future responses to healthcare crises. Fourteen managers participated in semi-structured interviews. We found that: (1) leadership challenges (physical resources and emotional burden), (2) the influence of senior leader decision-making on managers (constant change, shortage of human resources, adapting care delivery, and cooperation and collaboration), and (3) lessons learned (managerial caring behaviours and role modelling, adaptive leadership, education and training, culture of care for self, and others) were evidence of managers' responses to the crisis. Overall, the study provides evidence of managers experiences during the early waves of the pandemic in supporting nurses and fostering organizational resilience. Knowing manager's experiences can facilitate planning, preparing, and strengthening their leadership strategies to improve work conditions is a high priority to manage and sustain nurses' mental health and wellbeing.

Embracing relational competencies in applying the LEADS framework for health-care leaders in transformational change and the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which the LEADS Framework guided health-care leaders through organizational change and the COVID-19 pandemic in a western Canadian province. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: A qualitative exploratory inquiry assessed the extent to which health leaders applied competencies that aligned with the LEADS Framework. A purposeful sample of 22 health-care leaders participated in the study representing senior, mid-level and front-line health-care leaders in various health-care organizations to ensure diverse representation of leader competencies. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews to collect the data and used Braun and Clarke's (2006) six-phase approach to guide data analysis. FINDINGS: The analysis suggests that health-care leaders found Engaging with Others and Developing Coalitions were the most critical themes of the LEADS Framework for change management and for navigating the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings reveal that during transformational change and a crisis context, leaders embrace relational approaches to adapt and improve performance in dynamic organizations. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: These findings have implications for a relational approach to improve teamwork and decrease emotional strain; a focus on mobilizing and sharing power with nurses; and educational programs to advance relational and self-management skills, shared leadership, communication, change management, human resource and talent development as critical learning components for current and future health-care leaders. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The LEADS Framework is used to examine how health-care leaders responded to transformational change in the organization while situated in a pandemic context.

Mental health and well-being of unpaid caregivers: a cross-sectional survey protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Unpaid caregiving, care provided by family/friends, is a public health issue of increasing importance. COVID-19 worsened the mental health conditions of unpaid caregivers, increasing substance/drug use and early development of chronic disease. The impact of the intersections of race and ethnicity, sex, age and gender along with unpaid care work and caregivers' health and well-being is unknown. The aim of this study is to describe the inequities of caregiver well-being across the intersections of race and ethnicity, sex, age and gender using a cross-sectional survey design. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: We are collaborating with unpaid caregivers and community organisations to recruit a non-probability sample of unpaid caregivers over 18 years of age (n=525). Recruitment will focus on a target sample of 305 South Asian, Chinese and Black people living in Canada, who represent 60% of the Canadian racial and ethnic populations. The following surveys will be combined into one survey: Participant Demographic Form, Caregiver Well-Being Index, interRAI Self-report of Carer Needs and the GENESIS (GENdEr and Sex DetermInantS of Cardiovascular Disease: From Bench to Beyond-Premature Acute Coronary Syndrome) PRAXY Questionnaire. Sample characteristics will be summarised using descriptive statistics. The scores from the Caregiver Well-Being Index will be dichotomised into fair/poor and good/excellent. A two-stage analytical strategy will be undertaken using logistic regression to model fair/poor well-being and good/excellent well-being according to the following axes of difference set a priori: sex, race and ethnicity, gender identity, age, gender relations, gender roles and institutionalised gender. The first stage of analysis will model the main effects of each factor and in the second stage of analysis, interaction terms will be added to each model. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: The University of Toronto's Health Sciences Research Ethics Board granted approval on 9 August 2022 (protocol number: 42609). Knowledge will be disseminated in pamphlets/infographics/email listservs/newsletters and journal articles, conference presentation and public forums, social media and through the study website. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: This is registered in the Open Sciences Framework with a Registration DOI as follows: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/PB9TD.

Medication management for nurses working in long-term care.

In long-term care (LTC), the complexity of residents' conditions and their treatment requirements present challenges for nurses managing medications. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore medication management as described by licensed nurses working in LTC. A total of 22 licensed nurses from 2 LTC facilities located in the Canadian province of Ontario participated in 4 focus groups. Thematic content analysis was used to organize data into themes and a conceptual model was developed. The overarching theme was that nurses are "racing against time" to manage medications and 3 subthemes described how they coped with this important care process: preparing to race, running the race, and finishing the race. Barriers to safe medication management included time restraints, knowledge limitations, interruptions and distractions, and poor communication. The findings can be used to better inform health-care providers and to guide future research. They also have the potential to directly impact outcomes related to safe medication management in LTC.

Teaching critical management skills to senior nursing students: videotaped or interactive hands-on instruction?

This study examined and compared the effectiveness of videotape training versus hands-on instruction in preparing senior nursing students to respond to emergency clinical situations. Fourth year nursing students (n=27) were randomly assigned to one of three groups; one group received videotaped instruction, one group engaged in a hands-on experience, and one group, a control, received no instruction. Students were evaluated using a three-station objective structured clinical examination that involved high-fidelity simulations. Differences between the control and the two instructional groups were significant (p = .007); however, there was no significant difference between the two types of instruction. It was concluded that instruction on crisis management with a high-fidelity simulator, using either video or hands-on instruction, can result in a significant improvement in performance.

Implementing the Synergy Model: A Qualitative Descriptive Study.

Hospitals across our nation are seeking to implement models of care that meet the primary goals of Quadruple Aim: Improved population health, cost-effective care delivery, and patient and provider satisfaction. In an effort to address the Quadruple Aim and our patients' care needs, Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) embarked on a model of care delivery redesign, beginning with nursing care delivery. From 2013 to 2018, 12 clinical programs at HHS implemented the Synergy Model with its accompanying synergy patient needs assessment tool for nurses to objectively assess patients' acuity and dependency needs. Data on patients' priority care needs were used to inform a nursing model of care redesign at HHS, including skill mix and staffing levels. This five-year project was an organization-wide quality improvement initiative. As part of the evaluation, HHS leaders partnered with health services nurse researchers to conduct a mixed methods study. This paper describes the evaluation outcomes from the qualitative component of the study, which included interviews with clinical nurse leaders and direct care nurses. Data were analyzed using descriptive thematic analysis. Some key findings were increased nurse awareness of patients' holistic care needs and leaders' capacity to plan staffing assignments based on patients' priority care needs. Themes helped inform recommendations for key stakeholders, including nurse leaders and direct care nurses.

Self-assessment or self deception? A lack of association between nursing students' self-assessment and performance.

AIM: The aim of this study was to examine senior year nursing students' ability to self-assess their performance when responding to simulated emergency situations. BACKGROUND: Self-assessment is viewed as a critical skill in nursing and other health professional programmes. However, while students may spend considerable time completing self-assessments, there is little evidence that they actually acquire the skills to do so effectively. By contrast, a number of studies in medicine and elsewhere have cast doubt on the validity of self-assessment. METHOD: In 2007, a one-group pre-test, post-test design was used to answer the question, 'How accurate are senior year nursing students in assessing their ability to respond to emergency situations in a simulated medical/surgical environment compared to observer assessment of their performance?' A total of 27 fourth year nursing students from a university in Ontario were asked to complete a questionnaire before and after an objective structured clinical examination which assessed their ability to respond to emergency situations. Self-assessments were compared with observed performance. FINDINGS: The experience of dealing with the simulated crisis situations significantly increased perceived confidence and perceived competence in dealing with emergency situations, although it did not affect self-perceived ability to communicate or collaborate. All but 1 of the 16 correlations between self-assessment and the objective structured clinical examination total scores were negative. Their self-assessment was also unrelated to several indices of experience in critical care settings. CONCLUSION: Self-assessment in nursing education to evaluate clinical competence and confidence requires serious reconsideration as our well-intentioned emphasis on this commonly used practice may be less than effective.

The nurse practitioner role in pain management in long-term care.

AIM: This paper is a report of a study exploring the perceptions of long-term care team members and nurse managers about barriers and facilitators to optimal use of nurse practitioners to manage residents' pain in long-term care settings. BACKGROUND: Considering the high rates of pain in long-term care, research is needed to explore innovations in health-services delivery, including the emerging nurse practitioner role. METHODS: For this study, an exploratory descriptive design was used to collect data in spring 2007 from five focus groups of nurses and 14 individual interviews with other healthcare team members and nurse managers. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. FINDINGS: Five pain management activities performed by nurse practitioners were identified, including assessing pain, prescribing pain medications, monitoring pain levels and side effects of pain medications, consulting and advocating for staff and patients, and leading and educating staff related to pain management. Factors that influenced the implementation of the nurse practitioner role included the availability of the nurse practitioner, scope of practice, role clarity, perceived added value of nurse practitioner role, terms of employment, nurse practitioner-physician relationship. Perceived outcomes of the nurse practitioner role were also described. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this study contribute to our understanding of how the nurse practitioner role is perceived by other healthcare professionals, particularly in pain management. Stronger interprofessional collaborative relationships need to be facilitated within a model of care that includes a nurse practitioner, with the ultimate goal of improving pain management services in long-term care.