Self-efficacy: an essential component of advanced-practice nursing

The concept of self-efficacy has been used widely as a model for examining health-promoting education in such areas as cardiac rehabilitation, smoking cessation, dietary modifications, pulmonary rehabilitation, and compliance with prescribed regimens. Consequently, self-efficacy has emerged as an essential concept in developing and implementing health promotion programs in advanced practice. Self-efficacy refers to an individual's perceived ability to perform a specific behavior. It is the mediator between knowledge and action, and it influences the selection of behavior, the environment in which the behavior occurs, and the amount of effort and perseverance expended on performing the behavior. This paper analyzes the concept of self-efficacy and suggests applications of self-efficacy in advanced-practice nursing.