Advanced Practice Registered Nurses

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Advanced Practice Registered Nurses

Introduction

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) are registered nurses who have completed the necessary training in both clinical practice and advanced education and often offer medical services in community-based organizations. Adding to the prerequisite nursing teaching and certification necessary for all Registered Nurses, APRNs should hold at least a Master’s degree. APRNs are composed of clinical nurse experts, nurse midwives, nurse practitioners, and nurse anesthetists, and they all play a crucial role in future health care development (American Nurses Association, n.d). This paper discusses the favorable effects that APRNs care coordination may have on patient care in different clinical settings. Specifically, the describes the different ways in which APRNs may implement care management and care coordination in a specific health setting, ways in which EHR and information technology affect patient care, challenges and barriers associated with the implementation of coordination practices in clinical settings, and how APRN advocacy at the federal, state, and local levels affect legislative practices.

How an APRN Can Implement Care Coordination and Care Management Activities in an Healthcare Setting

The employment of APRNs to offer patient care in a wide range of clinical settings can positively impact the quality of patient services offered in the health setting by making sure that clients receive the services and treatments they need, monitoring patients for severe reactions to treatment or medications, and offering other essential patient support services. Additionally, advanced practice registered nurses can work together with other associates of the care team to establish a patient-centered treatment plan adapted to meet the patient’s specific needs.

According to Donelan et al. (2019), advanced practice registered nurses have been instrumental in developing and leading care management and care coordination programs in acute care hospitals. These programs are consistent with the ultimate goal of fulfilling the health care needs of those patients who suffer from complex chronic illnesses. In acute care hospitals, APRNs work with physicians to develop patient treatment plans and keep records of patients’ severe reactions to specific treatments.

How Information Technology and Electronic Health Records Influence Patient Care and Coordination

Electronic health records and information technology are vital in improving patient care and coordination since they help doctors and nurses efficiently and quickly access patient information. Therefore, implementing information systems is crucial in every health care setting as it provides improved access to evidence, thus; improving evidence-based nursing and patient care quality. Information technology offers many opportunities for developing and transforming patient care and coordination which include; dropping the rate of human mistakes, simplifying the burden of care coordination, improving the quality of clinical results, observing data over time, and making practices more efficient. In addition, using health information technology in health care facilities could improve patient safety by decreasing the occurrence of medication errors, the possibility of adverse drug reactions, and the proportion of non-compliance with best practices (Alotaibi, 2017).

Additionally, electronic health records promote patient care and coordination by enabling doctors taking of patients in various health care settings to share and continually update clients’ clinical data and then display the patient’s data in logical clinical groupings that can be readily accessed by other doctors in the health care setting. Also, practitioners can monitor their patients’ development over time and identify potential issues or problem areas with a higher degree of precision due to electronic health records.

Facilitating Factors, Barriers, and Challenges Related to Adopting Care Coordination Practices in Healthcare Settings

In healthcare settings, there are several factors that, when combined, stimulate the implementation of care coordination approaches. On the other hand, a number of challenges and issues also need to be resolved. Both facilitating factors and barriers to implementing care coordination can be identified at the organizational, individual, and interpersonal levels. Facilitating factors related to the implementation of care coordination in healthcare settings include; the availability of community resources that support care coordination, improved functionality of the clinical information technology, a growing trend in the healthcare sector toward assessing and rewarding excellence, and the increased petition for coordinated health care by the patients, payers, and other stakeholders (Lin et al.,2018). Other facilitating factors are the improved interactions between the patients and clinicians.

Some of the challenges and barriers to the implementation of care coordination in healthcare facilities include; the absence of financial incentives designed to encourage participation in care coordination on the part of healthcare providers and the overall lack of understanding and awareness of care coordination among healthcare practitioners, patients, and other people. Another barrier is the patient population which influences how care coordination practices are used (Lin etal., 2018).

How APRN Advocacy at the Local, State and Federal Levels Influences Legislative Practices and Effect this have on the Future of Advanced Nursing Practice in my Home State

At the local level, APRNs can recommend the city councils and all other local legislative authorities about the need to increase responsibilities and power for APRNs, which will assist them in obtaining support from the general public. This may help guarantee that the needs of the people who are supposed to be governed by the laws and regulations are met, both now and in the future. Besides, APRNs educate local policymakers on the benefits of their vast training and experience in order to enhance healthcare delivery and access for all.

 At the state level, advanced practice registered nurses can work with regulatory agencies and state legislators to alter the laws and regulations that govern their professional practice. This may help ensure that patients receive the highest possible health care quality available. According to Brom et al. (2018), at the state level, the Full practice authority ensures that APRNs work within the scope of their training and allows the patients to find a qualified doctor independently.  Lastly, at the federal state, APRNs and members of congress may work together to modernize the rules and regulations that govern the advanced nursing practice. This allows nurses to continue providing innovative patient care while maintaining the highest standards.

Conclusion

All health care facilities need to employ APRNs as they are responsible for the treatment and diagnosis of illnesses, as well as providing advice to the general public on matters about health, managing chronic diseases, and participating in ongoing education to stay abreast of any methodological, technological, or other improvements in the field.

References

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) | American Nurses Association. ANA. Retrieved 15 September 2022, from https://www.nursingworld.org/practice-policy/workforce/what-is-nursing/aprn/.

Alotaibi, Y. K., & Federico, F. (2017). The impact of health information technology on patient safety. Saudi medical journal, 38(12), 1173. DOI: 10.15537/smj.2017.12.20631Brom, H. M., Salsberry, P. J., & Graham, M. C. (2018). Leveraging health care reform to accelerate nurse practitioner full practice authority. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 30(3), 120. DOI: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000023Donelan, K., Chang, Y., Berrett-Abebe, J., Spetz, J., Auerbach, D. I., Norman, L., & Buerhaus, P. I. (2019). Care management for older adults: The roles of nurses, social workers, and physicians. Health Affairs, 38(6), 941-949. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00030Lin, C. C. C., Dievler, A., Robbins, C., Sripipatana, A., Quinn, M., & Nair, S. (2018). Telehealth in health centers: key adoption factors, barriers, and opportunities. Health Affairs, 37(12), 1967-1974.