A qualitative systematic review of the experiences of Australian advanced practices nurses working in acute care settings.

Abstract

Review question/objective Internationally, advanced practice nurses are practicing in many different contexts and under a variety of position titles. Due to ambiguity within the field it is difficult to equally compare evidence in this field from different countries. The aim of this review therefore, is to examine the qualitative evidence regarding the field of advanced practice within Australian acute care settings only. More specifically, the question which this review intends to answer is: - 'What are the experiences of Australian advanced practice nurses working in acute care settings?' Inclusion criteria Types of participants This review will consider publications of qualitative studies on nurses recognised as working in advanced practice roles in acute care settings throughout Australia. Due to the ambiguity in nomenclature, different titles of APN will be considered, including but not limited to clinical nurse consultant and nurse practitioner. Studies on nurses working in roles within acute, hospital or tertiary care centres will be the focus of this review, including those that specify different units within the acute setting, such as intensive care and critical care units as well as hospital emergency departments. Advanced practice nurses working in specialty fields, such as mental health, will be included only if their practice setting is specified as acute care or hospital. Studies that are undertaken in primary care, transitional care or aged care settings will be excluded. Phenomena of interest The phenomena of interest for this review are the experiences felt and reported by advanced practice nurses working within the acute care setting in Australia. This may include patient care related experiences or experiences involving the organisation or context of practice. Context Urban and rural acute health care settings in Australia.