Recognising the differences in the nurse consultant role across context: a study protocol.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Healthcare Management
• Health Services Research

Background:

• The Nurse Consultant role is vital for clinical leadership but suffers from unclear function and purpose within health organizations.
• Evolving healthcare delivery models further complicate the positioning and objectives of nursing roles, including Nurse Consultants.
• There is a critical need to demonstrate the impact of Nurse Consultants on healthcare outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To gain a clearer understanding of the Nurse Consultant role.
• To explore the impact of Nurse Consultants in metropolitan and rural New South Wales (NSW), Australia.
• To examine how Nurse Consultants contribute to organizational outcomes within complex health services.

Main Methods:

• A sequential mixed-methods design using Realistic Evaluation, focusing on the 'context-mechanism-outcome' framework.
• Surveys administered to stakeholders across rural and metropolitan services to gather data on role characteristics.
• Focus groups with Nurse Consultants, clinicians, policymakers, and managers to explore role perceptions and enactment.

Main Results:

• Extensive international and Australian studies indicate a lack of role clarity for Nurse Consultants.
• Previous research has not adequately examined the Nurse Consultant role within integrated, complex health services.
• This study is the first in Australia to incorporate extensive stakeholder perspectives on the role's relational and integrated nature.

Conclusions:

• Clarifying the Nurse Consultant role is essential for understanding their significance and optimizing their contribution to healthcare teams.
• Effective examination of the Nurse Consultant role is critical in complex health service environments.
• Understanding the impact of Nurse Consultants across diverse contexts is vital for maximizing their effectiveness.