Advanced nurse and midwife practitioners' experience of interprofessional collaboration when implementing evidence-based practice into routine care: An interpretative phenomenological analysis

Aim: To understand advanced nurse and midwife practitioners' experience of interprofessional collaboration in implementing evidence-based practice into routine care. Design: A qualitative interpretative phenomenological analysis. Methods: A purposeful sample of 10 Registered Advanced Nurse and Midwife Practitioners from a range of practice settings in the Republic of Ireland participated in semi-structured interviews over a 10-month timeframe. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data were analysed using a multi-stage approach in line with guidance for interpretative phenomenological analysis. Results: Six superordinate themes emerged: Understanding of advanced practice; 'Treated as an equal and as a "nurse"'; Nursing management support; 'A voice to implement anything new'; Confidence and Emotional intelligence. These factors impacted interprofessional relationships and the extent to which advanced practitioners could implement evidence-based practice. Conclusion: There is scope to improve advanced practitioners' ability to collaborate with the interprofessional team in implementing evidence-based practice into routine care. Impact and Implications: The study findings demonstrate that enhancing understanding of the advanced practice role; increasing organizational support for advanced practitioners and augmenting specific practitioner skills and attributes will increase their ability to collaborate effectively and implement evidence-based practice. Supporting advanced practitioners in this important aspect of their role will positively influence health outcomes for patients. Contribution to the Wider Global Clinical Community: As numbers of both nurse and midwife practitioners increase globally, this study provides timely evidence from a range of practice settings to guide the design of education programmes and policies governing advanced practice. Study recommendations have broad applicability to all healthcare professionals who are engaged in implementing evidence-based practice into routine care. Reporting Method: Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ). Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution.