Validation of the newly developed Advanced Practice Nurse Task Questionnaire: A national survey.

To describe psychometric validation of the newly developed Advanced Practice Nurse Task Questionnaire. Cross-sectional quantitative study. The development of the questionnaire followed an adapted version of the seven steps described in the guide by the Association for Medical Education in Europe. A nationwide online survey tested the construct and structural validity and internal consistency using an exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient and a Kruskal-Wallis test to compare the hypotheses. We received 222 questionnaires between January and September 2020. The factor analysis produced a seven-factor solution as suggested in Hamric's model. However, not all item loadings aligned with the framework's competencies. Cronbach's alpha of factors ranged between .795 and .879. The analysis confirmed the construct validity of the Advanced Practice Nurse Task Questionnaire. The tool was able to discriminate the competencies of guidance and coaching, direct clinical practice and leadership across the three advanced practice nurse roles clinical nurse specialist, nurse practitioner or blended role. A precise assessment of advanced practice nurse tasks is crucial in clinical practice and in research as it may be a basis for further refinement, implementation and evaluation of roles. The Advanced Practice Nurse Task Questionnaire is the first valid tool to assess tasks according to Hamric's model of competencies independently of the role or the setting. Additionally, it distinguishes the most common advanced practice nurse roles according to the degree of tasks in direct clinical practice and leadership. The tool may be applied in various countries, independent of the degree of implementation and understanding of advanced nursing practice. The STARD 2015 guideline was used to report the study. No patient or public contribution

[A challenge in spite of acceptance - how mothers of newborn babies with a "cleft" experience the transition from the hospital back home]

There is almost no empirical data about how mothers of newborn babies with a cleft lip and/or palate manage the transition from the hospital to home. This qualitative study therefore focuses on the experiences of mothers of newborn babies with a cleft lip and palate. Two problem-oriented interviews were conducted with five women. Using a qualitative content analysis, one main category and four sub-categories were defined. The main category called "receive the right kind of help" shows that the women depended on different types of support, concerning various topics from the diagnosis to everyday family life. This is reflected in the sub-categories: a) it is the way it is, b) sudden disappearance of the child, c) time-consuming and difficult nutrition and d) master everyday family-life. These sub-categories display the experiences of mothers of newborn babies with a cleft lip and palate during the transition from hospital to home and point to the big challenge of these mothers in transition. Most important is that health professionals seek to better understand mothers' experiences in this important phase in order to optimize both the support in hospital and outpatient facilities

Experiences of parents with caring for their child after a cancer diagnosis

Children and adolescents with cancer are increasingly treated and cared for at home; hospital stays are reduced to a minimum. Taking care of a sick child at home has an impact on the entire family: the sick child, the siblings, and the parents. This qualitative study examines the experiences of parents taking their child home for the first time after the diagnosis. Parents of 10 children newly diagnosed with cancer were interviewed twice around the time of the first discharge; data were analyzed using content analysis methodology. Findings illustrated parents' preparation of and experiences around their child's first discharge, the huge amount of new and changed tasks parents have to fulfill at home when caring for their child with cancer, and consequences for the parents. By providing individualized information and instruction, by having parents anticipate potential problems and solutions, and by describing available community support and integrating district nurses as well as other parents with the same experiences more frequently, health care professionals in the hospital can optimize discharge planning for these parents