[Intention to Delegate Clinical Practice of Medical Specialists in Accordance with the Enactment of the Scope of Practice for Advanced Practice Nurses].

PURPOSE

This study aimed to investigate the nationwide intention to delegate clinical practice of medical specialists in accordance with the enactment of the scope of practice for advanced practice nurses (APNs).

METHODS

Data were collected from October to December 2021 using Google Surveys. In total, 147 medical specialists from 12 provinces responded to the survey. The survey questionnaire was categorized into four legislative draft duties, according to the scope of practice (a total of 41 tasks): Twenty-nine tasks on treatments, injects, etc., performed under the guidance of a physician and other activities necessary for medical treatment (treatment domain); two tasks on collaboration and coordination; six tasks on education, counseling, and quality improvement; four regarding other necessary tasks. Participants were asked whether they were willing to delegate the tasks to APN.

RESULTS

The intention to delegate tasks to APN was higher for non-invasive tasks such as blood sampling (97.3%) or simple dressing (96.6%). Invasive tasks such as endotracheal tube insertion (10.2%), sampling: bone marrow biopsy & aspiration (23.8%) showed low intention to delegate in the treatment domain. Participants who were older, male, and had more work careers with APN, showed a higher intention to delegate tasks.

CONCLUSION

To prevent confusion in the clinical setting, a clear agreement on the scope of APN practice as APN delegated by physicians should be established. Based on this study, legal practices that APN can perform legally should be established.