The International Advanced Practice Nurse Integration Policy Intervention Taxonomy: A 10-Country Nominal Group...

Area of Science:

• Health Policy
• Nursing Practice
• Health Systems Research

Background:

• Advanced practice nurse (APN) integration is crucial for optimal health outcomes, yet faces common international barriers like unclear scope of practice and leadership gaps.
• A lack of evidence-based policy interventions hinders effective APN integration globally.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a comprehensive international taxonomy of policy interventions specifically designed for integrating advanced practice nurses into diverse health systems.

Main Methods:

• A nominal group expert consensus study involved 12 experts from 10 countries.
• Methods included literature review, single-country testing, round-robin feedback, live revisions, consensus voting, and member checking using the Accurate Consensus Reporting Document.

Main Results:

• The study identified 59 policy interventions categorized into 14 distinct groups.
• Interventions were classified at national (e.g., regulation, economic incentives), organizational (e.g., leadership engagement, infrastructure), and care team levels (e.g., communication, work environment).

Conclusions:

• The developed taxonomy is the first to incorporate international perspectives from countries with varied health system structures and APN development.
• Implementation of this taxonomy can lead to more effective APN integration, potentially improving health outcomes and providing a guide for adapting interventions.