How to develop advanced practice nursing in complex health care systems?

Over the last few decades, advanced nursing practitioners (ANP) have developed new roles in health care systems and this tendency is continuing to grow. Postgraduate trained ANP interact directly with the person, i.e. the individual and his/her family - in many fields of practice and in a context of collaboration with fellow nurses and other health care professionals. The potential benefits of ANP interventions have been demonstrated in many fields. In particular, ANP are public health actors, able to participate in the interdisciplinary response to supportive care of patients with chronic diseases. However, the development of advanced practice nursing (APN) in a complex health care system requires a systemic approach coordinated with the various levels of training of nursing practitioners and other health care professionals. This is an essential prerequisite to allow ANPs to develop new roles adapted to their capacities (legal qualification, high level, specialist training, modalities of collaboration, etc.). To achieve an added value for patients, for the health care system in terms of results and to ensure adequate nursing conditions, the authors emphasize the importance of structured development of APN and propose an awareness phase comprising adoption of a conceptual model of APN and the establishment of a structured list of existing nursing practices in order to prepare a methodical implementation strategy.