The Nurses who Specialise in Savings.

Specialist nurses are far from just the 'icing on the cake' - in inflammatory bowel disease alone they are consistently preventing emergency attendances and ensuring the most appropriate use of services.

Gaps in the supply of physicians, advance practice nurses, and physician assistants.

BACKGROUND: Based on the goals of health care reform, growth in the demand for health care will continue to increase the demand for physicians and, as physician shortages widen, advanced practice nurses (APNs) and physician assistants (PAs) will play larger roles. Together with physicians they constitute a workforce of "advanced clinicians." The objective of this study was to assess the capacity of this combined workforce to meet the future demand for clinical services. STUDY DESIGN: Projections were constructed to the year 2025 for the supply of physicians, APNs, and PAs, and these were compared with projections of the demand for advanced clinical services, based on federal estimates of future spending and historic relationships between spending and the health care labor force. RESULTS: If training programs for APNs and PAs grow as currently projected but physician residency programs are not further expanded, the aggregate per capita supply of advanced clinicians will remain close to its current level, which will be 20% less than the demand in 2025. Increasing the numbers of entry-level (PGY1) residents by 500 annually will narrow the gap, but it will remain >15%. CONCLUSIONS: The nation faces a substantial shortfall in its combined supply of physicians, APNs, and PAs, even under aggressive training scenarios, and deeper shortages if these scenarios are not achieved. Efforts must be made to expand the output of clinicians in all 3 disciplines, while also strengthening the infrastructure of clinical practice and facilitating the delegation of tasks to a broadened spectrum of caregivers in new models of care.

Palliative care services for those with chronic lung disease.

Excellent palliative care is available for patients with advanced lung cancer. Whether the same services are available for those with nonmalignant respiratory disease is less clear. A questionnaire was sent to 210 named respiratory physicians, each representing a major hospital in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. A total of 107 replies were received; the response rate was 51.0%. Respondents cared for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asbestosis, and diffuse parenchymal lung disease but only a third had responsibility for cystic fibrosis. Physicians were supported by a mean of 3.4 respiratory nurse specialists per department and 73.8% had a specialist lung cancer nurse. In only 16 cases (20.3%) did that nurse extend care to those with nonmalignant disease. Only a minority reported easy access to hospice in-patient care or day care. About 21.5% of the respondents had formal policies in place for care of patients with chronic respiratory disease nearing the end of life, but 87.9% of respondents had no formal process for initiating end of life discussions with those with terminal respiratory illness. Patients with advanced nonmalignant respiratory disease have less universal access to specialist palliative care services than do those with malignant lung disease, and in the majority of hospitals there is no formalized approach to end of life care issues with patients with chronic lung disease.

Organizational strategies to recruit clinical nurse specialists.

There is strong evidence of the value of the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) role in the acute care environment. Individual hospitals may encounter barriers in recruiting qualified CNSs. The authors discuss one organization's journey to increase recruitment of CNSs through the implementation of a service-line-specific role and a formal staff development program. The number of CNSs in the organization increased with these interventions.

Introducing Advanced Practice Nurses / Nurse Practitioners in health care systems: a framework for reflection and analysis.

UNLABELLED: An increasing number of countries are exploring the option of introducing Advanced Practice Nurses (APN), such as Nurse Practitioners (NP), as part of the health care workforce. This is particular relevant in light of the increase of the elderly and chronically ill. It is crucial that this introduction is preceded by an in depth understanding of the concept of advanced practice nursing as well as an analysis of the context. AIMS: Firstly, a conceptual clarification of Advanced Practice Nurses and Nurse Practitioners is provided. Secondly, a framework is introduced that assists in the analysis of the introduction and development of Advanced Practice Nurse roles in a particular health care system. Thirdly, outcomes research on Advanced Practice Nursing is presented. METHODS: Argumentation developed using data based papers and policy reports on Advanced Practice Nursing. RESULTS: The proposed framework consists of five drivers: (1) the health care needs of the population, (2) education, (3) workforce, (4) practice patterns and (5) legal and health policy framework. These drivers act synergistically and are dynamic in time and space. Outcomes research shows that nurse practitioners show clinical outcomes similar to or better than those of physicians. Further examples demonstrate favourable outcomes in view of the six Ds of outcome research; death, disease, disability, discomfort, dissatisfaction and dollars, for models of care in which Advanced Practice Nurses play a prominent role. CONCLUSION: Advanced Practice Nurses such as Nurse Practitioners show potential to contribute favourably to guaranteeing optimal health care. Advanced Practice Nurses will wield the greatest influence on health care by focusing on the most pressing health problems in society, especially the care of the chronically ill.

Specialist nurses for older people: implications from UK development sites.

AIM: This paper is a report of a study to explore the development of specialist staffing for older people in six case study sites in the United Kingdom. BACKGROUND: In the United Kingdom there has been some concern about the health care available to older people, leading to the development of a National Service Framework. A key theme of this framework is the development of specialist staff skilled in providing services tailored to the needs of older people. METHOD: A soft systems methodology was used in 2004-2005 to carry out interviews with key people, including specialist nurses for older people, other service providers, patients and informal carers (n = 132) in six case study sites identified from a national questionnaire. Interviewees were asked to describe their perceptions of the development, its history and its impact. FINDINGS: The development of specialist nursing services seemed to be shaped by national policy drivers for service development, which may not have been directly linked to the needs of older people. The ideal qualities of a specialist nurse for older people were described by participants as including not only knowledge and skills, but also personal characteristics. CONCLUSION: While progress has been made in establishing specialist posts, much remains to be explored about the roles of postholders, the qualities needed, and the support and preparation required. While advanced practice is a professional aspiration, a number of questions arise about the development of nursing as a self-directing profession in diverse international settings. Theories of specialist nursing practice also need to address the tensions between universal and local models and to consider theories about nursing older people.

Leading through collaboration: a regional academic/service partnership that works.

This article describes a regional education/service partnership that has thrived for > 20 years. The collaboration takes place between a tertiary medical center and a university-based school of nursing located in a rural underserved area. Several critical issues have been creatively addressed by the partners including: the shortage of new nurses and nurse educators; the shortage of advanced practice nurses; the need to foster competence in new employees, particularly new graduates; and the advancement of clinical nursing research. Throughout history, academic/service partnerships have been discussed and developed. Cronenwett suggests that while the models have changed and evolved, there is a long-term history of collaborative partnerships in nursing.(1) Some of the most successful partnerships described in the literature have occurred when hospitals and schools of nursing share their governance structure.(2) However, in today's world, collaboration is based on a pressing need to address complex issues even when schools of nursing and clinical agencies have different governing structures. O'Neil suggests that the building blocks of an effective partnership include a coherent institutional strategy, potential partners that bring value and assets to the partnership, mutually beneficial goals, and accountability to each other.(3) Time and timing, tact, talent, and trust are other essentials of a productive partnership.(4) This article describes a collaborative model in which a university-based school of nursing has collaborated with a tertiary care hospital. The institutions have separate governing structures and each has its own personnel policies, job descriptions, and benefits. The collaboration takes place in a rural area of the state characterized by poverty and high morbidity and mortality. There is one hospital and one baccalaureate program in the region. There are also several associate degree programs in nursing (ADN) and these programs have been involved in many of the collaborative initiatives. Several critical issues have been addressed by the partners including: the shortage of new nurses and nurse educators, the shortage of advanced practice nurses, the need to foster competence in new employees (particularly new graduates), and the advancement of clinical nursing research.

Advanced nurse roles in UK primary care.

Nurses increasingly work as substitutes for, or to complement, general practitioners in the care of minor illness and the management of chronic diseases. Available research suggests that nurses can provide as high quality care as GPs in the provision of first contact and ongoing care for unselected patients. Reductions in cost are context dependent and rarely achieved. This is because savings on nurses' salaries are often offset by their lower productivity (due to longer consultations, higher patient recall rates, and increased use of tests and investigations). Gains in efficiency are not achieved when GPs continue to provide the services that have been delegated to nurses, instead of focusing on the services that only doctors can provide. Unintended consequences of extending nursing roles include loss of personal continuity of care for patients and increased difficulties with coordination of care as the multidisciplinary team size increases. Rapid access to care is, however, improved. There is a high capital cost involved in moving to multidisciplinary teams because of the need to train staff in new ways of working; revise legislation governing scope of practice; address concerns about legal liability; and manage professional resistance to change. Despite the unintended consequences and the high costs, extending nursing roles in primary care is a plausible strategy for improving service capacity without compromising quality of care or health outcomes for patients.

Nurse dose as a concept.

PURPOSE: To describe the concept of Nurse Dose. METHODS: The concept of nurse dose has been identified from decades of clinical research as a concept essential in the delivery of safe and high quality health care. The components of nurse dose were conceptualized through review of the literature from nursing, medicine, and health services research. FINDINGS: Nurse dose is conceptualized as having three equally essential components: dose, nurse, and host and host response. Dose in the macro view includes the number of nurses per patient or per population in cities, states, regions, or countries. Dose in a micro view includes the amount of nurse time and the number of contacts. The nurse component consists of the education, expertise, and experience of the nurse. Host is represented by an organization and its characteristics (culture, autonomy, practice control) in a macro view and by the patient and characteristics (beliefs, values, culture) in a micro view. Host response includes response to the autonomy and acceptability of the nurse. CONCLUSIONS: Greater nurse dose has been associated with decreases in patient mortality, morbidity, and healthcare costs.

Advanced practice psychiatric nurses as a treatment resource: survey and analysis.

Access to behavioral health services, particularly pharmacotherapy, continues to be a significant problem. This is particularly the case for public sector beneficiaries and managed care members. The greater use of advanced practice psychiatric nurses (APPNs) with prescribing privileges could help. To better understand the availability and competence of APPNs to prescribe, the authors conducted 1) a national survey of APPNs' availability and prescribing practices, 2) a comparative analysis of pharmacy claims data generated by APPNs and psychiatrists, and 3) a comprehensive clinical record review comparing APPNs to psychiatrists. About 25% of the sample of APPNs reported having prescription authority and a private practice. The analysis of prescribing practices between APPNs and psychiatrists showed that with a few exceptions, there were no differences between the groups, as did a retrospective clinical record review. These results lead the authors to recommend greater efforts to increase the supply of APPNs.

Skill mix changes: substitution or service development?

An extensive review of published studies where doctors were replaced by other health professions demonstrates considerable scope for alterations in skill mix. However, the studies reported are often dated and have design deficiencies. In health services world-wide there is a policy focus which emphasises the substitution of nurses in particular for doctors. However, this substitution may not be real and increased roles for non-physician personnel may result in service development/enhancement rather than labour substitution. Further study of skill mix changes and whether non-physician personnel are being used as substitutes or complements for doctors is required urgently.

Changing supply and earning patterns of the mental health workforce.

The authors examine recent trends in the supply and earnings of various mental health providers from 1989 to 1995. The makeup of the mental health workforce is fundamentally different now than a decade ago. The number and earnings of psychiatrists have been relatively flat. The number of psychologists increased by 24%, with their earnings rising rapidly in the 1980s, and remaining level since 1990. The number of clinically trained social workers increased by 87% over the same period, and the number of advanced practice nurses certified in mental health specialties almost doubled, with the earnings of these master's-level providers increasing steadily over the period described. These trends are discussed in the context of major changes in the financing and delivery of mental health care.