Advanced Nursing Practice in Austria under consideration of outcome measurement

Internationally, Advanced Practice Nurses (APN) are associated with improvements when measuring results in health care. Advanced Nursing Practice (ANP) refers to an extended nursing care with the aim of meeting the changing conditions in health care systems by providing evidence-based practice. APN outcomes are the endpoints of nursing interventions based on clinical experience, scientific knowledge, and practical skills. Due to the challenges in health care systems, Advanced Practice Nurses have become well established internationally in various fields.

In Austria, the first nurses are currently trained in Advanced Nursing Practice on a master's level according to the International Council of Nurses core curriculum (ICN). However, national implementation and evaluation strategies are still missing.

The aim of this short report is (i) to show the current situation of APNs in Austria, and (ii) to underline the importance of measuring APN outcomes in implementing this role for future developments in health care.

A literature search was conducted in CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health), PubMed, and the Cochrane Library in the period 09/2019 to 01/2020.

With the help of APNs and coordinated, holistic, patient-centered care, a higher quality of care for different patient groups is clearly evident. The cost-effectiveness and the positive experience of both patients and nursing staff have been demonstrated in international studies. In particular, the guidance and educational skills of APNs have been shown to improve health outcomes in vulnerable population groups.

With regard to the implementation of APNs in the health care system, more focus is needed on the measurement of outcomes in nursing research. Outcome research has been shown to help identify the unique effect of APNs in patient care and to highlight the health-related improvements through Advanced Nursing Practice for health policy and further developments in the health care system.