[Implementation of a nurse practitioner role in inpatient surgery: A mixed-methods study in a pre-post design]. / Implementierung einer "Nurse Practitioner"-Rolle in der stationären Chirurgie.

Implementation of a nurse practitioner role in inpatient surgery: A mixed-methods study in a pre-post design Abstract: Background: The study describes the introduction and testing of a Nurse Practitioner role in acute inpatient surgery in a Swiss hospital over a year. Using a Nurse Practitioner can improve continuity of care, quality of care and patient safety. Aim: The short-term outcome of such a role in the field of inpatient surgery is shown after one year. The target variables included nine measurement criteria. Method: The evaluation was carried out using a mixed-method approach, partly in a pre-post comparison. Quantitatively, the number of patients being looked after, the discharge time, interprofessional cooperation, the duration of stay, disruptions to everyday life and the availability of the discharge documents were recorded. The qualitative recording included the experience of the participants. Results: The results of the evaluation indicate an added value of the new role. Indications can be found in the continuity of care and amenability in medical issues of the participants, as well as in the optimization of patient processes. The legally undefined situation in Switzerland proved to be difficult. Conclusions: The strengths of this role were increasing continuity of care, improving responsiveness in medical issues for patients and caregivers, as well as optimizing patient processes and patient safety. The legal requirements regarding competencies currently make it difficult to use NPs in the inpatient sector.

[Nurses' perspective on interprofessional communication on an intensive care unit]. / <<...dann wird er halt operiert und es ist keine Blutgruppe da!>> Interprofessionelle Kommunikation von Pflegenden einer internistischen Intensivstation.

The aim of this qualitative study was to explore experience in nurses' interdisciplinary/interprofessional communication on an intensive care unit. The structure of communication and influencing factors were shown and interpreted from the perspective of the nurses. Nurses working on an internal medical intensive care unit at a teaching facility in central Germany were questioned by means of semi-structured interviews. One main result was that for nurses the culture of communication in the investigation unit was characterized primarily by hierarchical structures imposed by the physicians. This dominance was identified in all nursing activities resulting in a considerable adverse effect on the flow of information concerning the patient between nurses and physicians. Especially within the context of daily rounds nurses were confronted with barriers to participate actively with their knowledge and professional competence in the process of decision-making. The problems described are well known in everyday nursing practice and have been dealt with in the English research literature. However, this study's aim is to present and summarize the gained insights and to transfer them in a practice-oriented way into a selected field of work. Possible solutions for the problems of inter-professional communication are suggested in subsequent work steps in order to optimize patient care.