TY - JOUR
T1 - Advanced practice nursing in Europe—Results from a pan-European survey of 35 countries
AU - De Raeve, Paul
AU - Davidson, Patricia M.
AU - Bergs, Jochen
AU - Patch, Michelle
AU - Jack, Susan M.
AU - Castro-Ayala, Adriana
AU - Xyrichis, Andreas
AU - Preston, Wendy
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Funding Information:
We are grateful to the members of the European Federation of Nurses who took the time to respond to the survey. We acknowledge the generous input from the EFN Working Group on APN.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Advanced Nursing published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2023/7/17
Y1 - 2023/7/17
N2 - Aim: To report the results of a mapping exercise by the European Federation of Nurses on current advanced practice nursing frameworks and developments across Europe. Design: Online, cross-sectional, questionnaire study. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed among 35 national nurses' associations across Europe in March 2021. The questionnaire solicited input on 60 items concerning key features of advanced practice nursing, intending to map existing developments and better understand the current state of advanced practice nursing in Europe. Data analysis used descriptive statistics, including counts and percentages, tabulation; open-text responses were handled with thematic synthesis techniques. Results: The definition, sense-making and operationalization of advanced practice nursing vary across Europe. Important variations were noted in the definition and requirements of advanced practice nursing, resulting in different views on the competencies and scope of practice associated with this role. Importantly, the level of education and training required to qualify and practice as an advanced practice nurse varies across European countries. Furthermore, only 11 countries reported the existence of a national legislation establishing minimum educational requirements. Conclusion: Significant variation exists in how countries define advanced practice nursing and how it is regulated at academic and practice levels. More research is needed to clarify whether this variation results from designing models of advanced practice nursing that work in different contexts; and what impact a standardized regulatory framework could have to grow the volume of advanced practice nurses across Europe. Impact: The current paper exposes the lack of clarity on the development and implementation of advanced practice nursing across Europe. We found significant variation in the definition, recognition, regulation and education of advanced practice nurses. Our data are essential to policymakers, professional associations and employers to ensure a coordinated and systematic effort in the consistency and ongoing development of advanced practice nurses across Europe. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution applied; the participants were national nurses' associations.
AB - Aim: To report the results of a mapping exercise by the European Federation of Nurses on current advanced practice nursing frameworks and developments across Europe. Design: Online, cross-sectional, questionnaire study. Methods: An online questionnaire was distributed among 35 national nurses' associations across Europe in March 2021. The questionnaire solicited input on 60 items concerning key features of advanced practice nursing, intending to map existing developments and better understand the current state of advanced practice nursing in Europe. Data analysis used descriptive statistics, including counts and percentages, tabulation; open-text responses were handled with thematic synthesis techniques. Results: The definition, sense-making and operationalization of advanced practice nursing vary across Europe. Important variations were noted in the definition and requirements of advanced practice nursing, resulting in different views on the competencies and scope of practice associated with this role. Importantly, the level of education and training required to qualify and practice as an advanced practice nurse varies across European countries. Furthermore, only 11 countries reported the existence of a national legislation establishing minimum educational requirements. Conclusion: Significant variation exists in how countries define advanced practice nursing and how it is regulated at academic and practice levels. More research is needed to clarify whether this variation results from designing models of advanced practice nursing that work in different contexts; and what impact a standardized regulatory framework could have to grow the volume of advanced practice nurses across Europe. Impact: The current paper exposes the lack of clarity on the development and implementation of advanced practice nursing across Europe. We found significant variation in the definition, recognition, regulation and education of advanced practice nurses. Our data are essential to policymakers, professional associations and employers to ensure a coordinated and systematic effort in the consistency and ongoing development of advanced practice nurses across Europe. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution applied; the participants were national nurses' associations.
KW - advanced practice nursing
KW - APN
KW - health care
KW - nurses
KW - nursing care
KW - policy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85165299547&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/jan.15775
DO - 10.1111/jan.15775
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85165299547
SN - 0309-2402
VL - 80
SP - 377
EP - 386
JO - Journal of Advanced Nursing
JF - Journal of Advanced Nursing
IS - 1
ER -
