Training of advanced practice nurses in oncology for the best care: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To search for evidence on the training of advanced practice nurses, through clinical practice and nursing care with cancer patients. Method: Systematic review, searching the databases: MEDLINE-PubMed, LILACS, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL and Cochrane CENTRAL. A manual search of the reference list and Google Scholar was also carried out. To assess the methodological quality of the studies, the following tools were used: Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias Tool (RoB 1) for randomized controlled trials and Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I) for quasi-experimental studies. Results: A total of 12 experimental studies were identified. The main intervention identified in the studies was educational guidance. The studies showed improvement in pain control or other symptoms related to disease and/or treatment, satisfaction and improvement in the quality of life of cancer patients. Conclusion: It is observed that there are studies that demonstrate the value of advanced practice nursing in oncology, through differentiated clinical training and advanced professional performance. Registration number of the systematic review: CRD42018098906.

The role experience of advanced practice nurses in oncology: An interpretative phenomenological study

“…In addition, participants considered that APNs increased the quality and efficiency of care, facilitating its accessibility and continuity, averting the need for emergency services and promptly detecting complications, a finding that is congruent with other studies that reveal the contribution of the APN role in caring for cancer patients in multidisciplinary teams elements (Alessy et al, 2021;Alotaibi & Al Anizi, 2020;Schneider et al, 2021;Stewart et al, 2021).…”

“…In performing the advanced practice role, key activities that our participants reported included direct clinical practice, consulting, coordination of the care process, interprofessional collaboration, research and education (Kerr et al, 2021;Schneider et al, 2021;Westman et al, 2019). The perception of participants in performing as APNs is congruent with that identified in other studies such as the review by Jokiniemi et al (2012) and with the roles of advanced practice nursing that are defined by ICN (2020), which is also in line with the roles recognized for cancer APNs in other countries (Cook et al, 2021;Kerr et al, 2021;Westman et al, 2019).…”

“…In that line, APNs have the competencies to provide such care throughout the disease process. They are in charge of coordinating patient care, requesting tests, interpreting the results, educating the patient about the tests, monitoring the treatment, managing adverse effects, assessing clinical status, controlling disease‐related symptoms and providing emotional and decision‐making support (Davies, 2022; Schneider et al., 2021). Therefore, APNs provide holistic, specialized care that responds to the needs of cancer patients and improves quality of care in terms of information, accessibility and involvement in self‐care (Kerr et al., 2021; Schneider et al., 2021; Westman et al., 2019).…”

“…The presence of an APN on the multidisciplinary team is associated with reductions in mortality, unscheduled admissions and anxiety, along with improvements in quality of life, satisfaction and the experience of the disease process (Alessy et al., 2021; Alotaibi & Al Anizi, 2020; Schneider et al., 2021; Stewart et al., 2021). However, the implementation of this role has been uneven: APNs are well‐established figures in countries such as the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia, while elsewhere their role is still emerging and expanding.…”

Adaptation and validation of the Advanced Practice Nursing Competency Assessment Instrument

“…The successful implementation of this practice is associated with expressive results, such as more time and quality of assistance offered to patients, improved access to health, higher user satisfaction rates, and higher levels of satisfaction and retention of qualified professionals (4)(5)(6) . In Brazil, this process is still incipient (7) since it requires the transformation of practice scenarios and, consequently, changes in legislation and professional regulation (3) .…”