Abstract
IntroductionAdvanced Practice Nurse (APN) is a fairly new role in the Swedish health care system.AimTo describe patients' experiences of health care provided by an APN in primary health care.MethodsAn inductive, descriptive qualitative approach with qualitative open‐ended interviews was chosen to obtain descriptions from 10 participants regarding their experiences of health care provided by an APN. The data were collected during the spring 2012, and a qualitative approach was used for analyze.ResultsThe APNs had knowledge and skills to provide safe and secure individual and holistic health care with high quality, and a respectful and flexible approach. The APNs conveyed trust and safety and provided health care that satisfied the patients' needs of accessibility and appropriateness in level of care.ConclusionThe APNs way of providing health care and promoting health seems beneficial in many ways for the patients. The individual and holistic approach that characterizes the health care provided by the APNs is a key aspect in the prevailing change of health care practice. The transfer of care and the increasing number of older adults, often with a variety of complex health problems, call for development of the new role in this context.
Highlights
Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) is a fairly new role in the Swedish health care system
The patients felt that they were treated as individuals with a focus on their whole person and not just their health problem per se. This professional approach was characterized by accuracy, attentiveness, and sensitiveness in the situation which led patients to feeling that APNs could be trusted with their health care problems
The patients were satisfied with the accessibility of health care, and trust was developed despite the fact that the majority of the patients expected to see a physician, because they had not been informed about seeing an APN
Summary
Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) is a fairly new role in the Swedish health care system. In order to prepare for this changing role of nurses, education that broadens and deepens knowledge and skills must be provided. This is being done through programs of education for Advanced Practice Nurses in Sweden (Hallman & Gillsjö, 2005; Horrocks, Anderson, & Salisbury, 2002; Laurant et al, 2005, 2008). In 2003, the University of Skövde was the first university in the Nordic countries to start a program of education for Advanced Practice Nurses (APN) at the Masters level.
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