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The Nurse Practitioner Role in Oncology: Advancing Patient Care.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES
To explore and describe the characteristics of the nurse practitioner (NP) role in cancer care in a Canadian province, identify the ways in which NPs add value to cancer care, and suggest ways in which organizations can better support the NP role. .


RESEARCH APPROACH
Exploratory, qualitative design. .


SETTING
Three cancer care facilities in a western Canadian province. .


PARTICIPANTS
12 NPs in cancer care, 12 physicians working with NPs, and 5 administrators responsible for implementing the role. .


METHODOLOGIC APPROACH
Interpretive description, a qualitative method aimed at systematically exploring and analyzing a topic and applying the findings back into practice. .


FINDINGS
Each group had a different perspective on the role and its value. Physicians regarded these high-level practitioners as "help" within their own practices. Administrators tended to use NPs to manage patient workload within the traditional physician-focused system, but they could see value in NP-led innovation. The NPs themselves envisioned a nontraditional, holistic, patient-centered approach to care that challenged the interventionist focus of the medical model. Suggestions for enhancing the potential of the role were offered by all groups.  .


CONCLUSIONS
Lack of clarity about the NP role persists. Traditional professional hierarchies and expectations about care delivery continue to affect role implementation. .


INTERPRETATION
Nursing leaders must be proactive about NP role implementation to maximize its potential. Additional research is needed about the outcomes of the role and the process of implementation.