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Am I covered?': an analysis of a national enquiry database on scope of practice
Author(s) -
Brady AnneMarie,
Fealy Gerard,
Casey Mary,
Hegarty Josephine,
Kennedy Catriona,
McNamara Martin,
O'Reilly Pauline,
Prizeman Geraldine,
Rohde Daniela
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1111/jan.12711
Subject(s) - accountability , thematic analysis , scope of practice , scope (computer science) , competence (human resources) , nursing , context (archaeology) , service delivery framework , medicine , flexibility (engineering) , professional boundaries , health care , service (business) , professional development , public relations , business , qualitative research , medical education , political science , psychology , sociology , management , marketing , social science , law , computer science , biology , social psychology , paleontology , programming language , economics
Aim Analysis of a national database of enquiries to a professional body pertaining to the scope of nursing and midwifery practice. Background Against a backdrop of healthcare reform is a demand for flexibility in nursing and midwifery roles with unprecedented redefinition of role boundaries and/or expansion. Guidance from professional regulatory bodies is being sought around issues of concern that are arising in practice. Design Qualitative thematic analysis. Method The database of telephone enquiries ( n = 9818) made by Registered Nurses and midwives to a national regulatory body (2001–2013) was subjected to a cleaning process and examined to detect those concerns that pertained to scope of practice. A total of 978 enquires were subjected to thematic analysis. Findings Enquiries were concerned with three main areas: medication management, changing and evolving scope of practice and professional role boundaries. The context was service developments, staff shortages and uncertainty about role expansion and professional accountability. Other concerns related to expectations around responsibility and accountability for other support staff. Conclusion Efforts by employers to maximize the skill mix of their staff and optimally deploy staff to meet service needs and/or address gaps in service represented the primary service context from which many enquiries arose. The greatest concern for nurses arises around medication management but innovation in healthcare delivery and the demands of service are also creating challenges for nurses and midwives. Maintaining and developing competence is a concern among nurses and midwives particularly in an environment of limited resources and where re‐deployment is common.