Holistic health care: Patients' experiences of health care provided by an Advanced Practice Nurse.
Irene Eriksson, Monica Lindblad, Ulrika Möller and 1 others
PMID 29071766WHAT IT FOUND
Patients seen by advanced practice nurses described feeling listened to, trusted the nurses' clinical decisions, and appreciated shorter waits.
For nurses, this means unhurried, whole-person explanation and follow-up can make care feel safe and accessible.
Key findings
01Patients described the advanced practice nurse as respectful and flexible, and said they felt listened to, believed, and treated as unique individuals.
02Patients said the advanced practice nurse explained the diagnosis and treatment clearly and followed up on their health status, which helped them trust the clinical judgement.
03Patients appreciated being seen with little or no wait when offered an advanced practice nurse appointment instead of waiting for a physician.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The sample was small and came from one primary health care centre in Sweden. Patients varied in age, gender, health condition, ethnicity, education, or profession because all patients were asked to take part. Some patients did not know whether they were scheduled to see an advanced practice nurse or a physician. The researchers conducted the interviews and analysed the data, and no formal ethics approval was sought.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that advanced practice nurse care is clinically better or safer than physician care. The study reports patients' experiences, not measured health outcomes, and the sample was small.