Advanced practice nurses: A new resource for Swedish primary health-care teams

Advanced practice nurses: A new resource for Swedish primary health-care teams This study is associated with the first evaluation of the four first advanced practice nurses (APNs), part of a primary health-care team in Sweden. The aim is to describe health-care teams' experiences of the new APN role and investigate what opportunities and barriers to the role exist. Eighty-one respondents answered a 14-question questionnaire with a Likert scale and one open-ended question. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to investigate differences between professional groups' answers. The qualitative material was analysed using deductive content analysis. Though mostly positive experiences of the role were found, differences did exist between the professional groups. APNs are considered a resource in that access to care, cooperation and patient flow increased. Barriers include APNs' limited autonomy and inability to prescribe medication. To further develop the role, the right to prescribe medication and strategic leadership within the Swedish health-care system, policy and legislation are needed.