• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.709-719
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• 2009

Purpose: The study was done to investigate physical assessment skills used by, and educational needs of, advanced practice nurses (APNs) and nurse specialists in Korea. Methods: A total of 123 APNs and nurse specialists working in five major hospitals in Seoul were surveyed from July 15 to August 20, 2007. Results: Fourteen skills out of 126 items were reported as being performed on a regular basis by participants. The majority of these skills involved general observation. Forty-six skills were rarely used. Some participants showed a lack of confidence in certain assessment skills, such as in doing a rectal or pelvic exam, and the use of some assessment equipment. Over 90% of participants required in-depth education on health assessment provided by specialists or nursing professional organizations. Conclusion: More educational opportunities in physical assessment should be provided including education programs based on the nurses' skill levels and needs. This effort will help to increase confidence of APNs and nurse specialists in physical assessment skills, ultimately resulting in better nursing outcomes.

• Perspectives in Nursing Science
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.17-31
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usability of a prototype personal digital assistant (PDA)-based decision support system for the management of obesity through usability testing with end-users (Advanced Practice Nurses [APNs]) prior to its implementation in clinical settings. Methods: This descriptive study used observational and think aloud techniques to address the research question: what usability problems are perceived by end-users? Five APNs were provided with the scenarios and the list of tasks to evaluate the application. Their verbalizations were recorded through Morae usabil ity software. Data analysis was based on the data captured through Morae, transcriptions, notes, and the end-user survey. Results: End-users completed all the required tasks without encountering a severe usability problem, and agreed that the system was easy to use. clear, concise, and useful. Usability issues that were unrecognized by the developer or usability experts were identified by APNs. The usability problems were categorized according to positive characteristics, negative characteristics, and recommendations. The usability issues were discussed with the project team members, and solutions were suggested to improve the user interface of the PDA-based decision support system before the final implementation. Conclusions: This approach had an important impact on making the system easier to use and more useful from the perspective of design and content. The results of this evaluation provided iterative feedback regarding the design and implementation of the PDA-based decision support system for the management of obesity.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.35-49
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• 2019

Purpose : This study aimed to propose a common scope of practice (SOP) for 13 specialties of Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) in Korea. Methods : The first draft of a common SOP was extracted from domestic and international laws with a literature review by 17 experts from the Korean Association of Advanced Practice Nurses (KAAPN). Then, the common SOP was finalized after comparing the activities of APNs in clinical settings. Results : A total of 70 duties were identified and six categories were suggested for the common SOP. The SOP proposed by the KAAPN featured the following: 1) identification of and discrimination between health problems; 2) prescription and implementation of diagnostic tests; 3) treatment of injuries and diseases while implementing measures to prevent exacerbation; 4) prescription of medicinal products in line with 1) to 3); 5) referral and consultation; and 6) education and counseling. It was then confirmed that the proposed six categories in the common SOP reflected all the duties performed by APNs in clinical practice, including all 40 activities. Conclusion : The results of this study can be used as evidence for the legalization of a common SOP for APNs. Given the increasing multidisciplinary team approach adopted in Korean hospitals, it may be desirable to establish a broader SOP to reflect the diverse duties of APNs.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.553-561
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• 2007

Purpose: This study aimed to assess needs of training programs for APN practice courses and continuing education programs for APNs to provide baseline data to improve APN education and practice. Methods: A total of 98 questionnaires were distributed to professors in 38 nursing institutions and 64 (65.3%) were returned. Data collection was performed in November and December, 2007 through email. Results: Professors in charge of geriatric and home care nurse practitioner programs constituted 43.7% of the study participants. Forty-one percent answered that they were satisfied with the practice programs they currently have operated, while 36.5% responded to have difficulty in appointment of institutions for practice programs and 56.3% had problems in assignment of preceptorship. In case of developing training programs for APN practice courses, 58.7% answered that they are willing to participate, and 90.6% felt needs for development of continuing education programs for APNs. Regarding liability insurance for APN students, only 11.5% provided insurance policy. Conclusion: The study results indicated that standardized training programs are needed to assure quality of APN education, and continuing education programs are required to provide opportunities for APNs to improve competencies.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.12-23
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• 2020

Purpose : This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of direct interhospital transfers (IHTs) of patients with acute aortic syndrome (AAS) led by advanced practice nurses (APNs). Methods : From September 2014 to June 2017, the study retrospectively investigated 183 patients with AAS who were transferred to a high-volume tertiary hospital. Results : One hundred forty-eight (81%) patients were admitted through direct IHTs, and 35 (19%) patients were admitted through non-direct IHTs. The direct IHT group had a significantly shorter time from symptom onset to hospital arrival than the non-direct IHT group (11.4 vs. 32.1 h, p=.043). There were no significant differences in other clinical outcomes, such as peri-transfer status, mortality, hospital length of stay, and readmission, between the two groups. In the direct IHT group, 55% of transfers were led by APNs. There was no significant difference in outcomes between APN- and physician-led transfers. Conclusions : Implementation of direct IHTs markedly shortened the time from symptom onset to hospital arrival in patients with AAS. Finally, direct IHTs can potentially improve the outcomes of patients with AAS, a condition with time-dependent mortality and morbidity. In addition, APNs can effectively lead the direct IHT of patients with AAS.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.48-61
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• 2023

Purpose : This study aimed to identify and describe the leadership experience of advanced practice nurses (APN). Methods : Data were collected through five focus group interviews in 2022 with a total of 24 APNs in groups of 4-6 participants. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Results : Nine categories emerged from three main themes. First, "Roles of APN leadership" comprised a trusted clinical expert, a moderator for the entire team, a resource person for nurturing the next generation, and a change agent for improving clinical practice. Second, "Facilitators and barriers to APN leadership" included ambiguity of APN role, support system, and institutional backing. Third, "Strategies for strengthening APN leadership competencies" comprised systematic leadership education and speaking up for APNs. Conclusion : APNs are passionate about their expertise and practice, but lack the legal and organizational authority and support to provide successive leadership. Systematic education including leadership and organizational advocacy will enable APN to provide leadership that benefits patients, institutions, and the wider healthcare system.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.137-145
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the training system and current status of home health nurses and to examine ways to retain sufficient number of advanced practice nurses (APNs) in the home health nursing field. Methods: This study analyzed the adequacy of the supply of home health nurse by reviewing the existing research literature and statistical data. Results: Discussions on how to revitalize the home care business have been ongoing since the beginning of 2001. However, despite home health nurses being oversupplied, discussions on the adequacy of supply have always been excluded from the focus of revitalization. The recent expansion of the home care business has resulted in a shortage of workforce, which can be inked not only to the continuous reduction of the designated quota of programs but also to the regional imbalance of educational institutions. The serious imbalance between supply and demand has caused fears that the home care business would drastically reduce. Conclusion: It is necessary to not only increase designated quotas for APNs programs but also integrate those programs of the similar curricula, thus lowering supply shortages in home health nurses.

• Journal of Korean Critical Care Nursing
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.15-27
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• 2018

Purpose : This study was intended to investigate the frequency of job performance of the Korean professional medical support staffs (PMSS). Method : The data of 1,666 PMSS from 36 hospitals and over 500 beds were analyzed. The participants were divided into 5 groups: advanced practice nurses (APN), clinical nurse experts, physician assistants (PA), coordinators, and others. Results : Among the 5 main domains of job performance, advanced clinical practice has the highest frequency (111.36 d/y), followed by consultation/collaboration (75.66 d/y), education/counseling (53.54 d/y), leadership (23.90 d/y), and research (19.14 d/y). There was a significant difference in the frequency of job performance between the 5 groups of participants. The invasive activities were more frequent in the PA group. In the education and counseling domain, APNs had a higher level of job frequency than others (p < .001). In the research and leadership domains, APNs and coordinators had more prominent performance frequency than other groups (p < .01). However, there are some ambiguities in the job performance of the 5 groups depending on institutional characteristics. Conclusion : To establish the scope of work of PMSS, organizational and individual efforts are needed to promote and expand the leadership and research domains. To resolve the ambiguities of PMSS' roles, it is necessary to reorganize their titles.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.240-253
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• 2020

Purpose: This study was conducted to provide basic data for the systematization of 13 areas related to Advanced Practice Nurses (APN). Methods: The three-phase study was conducted as follows. 1) review of APN system and curriculum, 2) Focus Group Interviews (FGI) with 9 APNs, 6 physicians, and 3 nursing professors on the APN system, 3) analysis of clinical practice of the 13 APN areas, and of the accreditation and certification system for APNs, medical board, and medical subspecialty board. Based on the above data, a systematic plan was drawn. Results: The 13 APN areas could be divided into 7 groups based on a review of the APN system and curriculum for the 13 areas. Analysis based on clinical practice showed that the 13 APN areas could be divided into 4 groups. Two themes and seven categories emerged in FGI. The two themes were 1) 13 APN areas that need to be discussed, 2) improving the curriculum for APN. Considering these themes from FGI and the system of the medical subspecialty board, results could be integrated into 2 groups - clinical area and non-clinical area. Conclusion: The 13 APN areas need to be integrated in order to activate the APN system. For that, further discussions on improvements and a standard curriculum according to legislation related to APN should be carried out.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.131-143
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this survey was to identify a set of performance indicators for Korean APNs (Advanced Practice Nurses). Methods: A convenience sample of 78 APNs working in 2 leading hospitals in south Korea participated in the three-round Delphi survey. In the first round, subjects were asked to propose performance indicators to evaluate the effectiveness of their practice. They rated the relevancy of each indicator during the second round. In the final round of survey, subjects rated the relevancy of indicators again in the light of second round's overall results and they also were asked to check on current and future use of indicators. Results: After 5 months of three-round Delphi survey, 60 performance indicators were identified. In regard to relevancy, the 10 highly ranked indicators were patient satisfaction, self-care ability, expertise of service, family satisfaction, nurse satisfaction, satisfaction in nursing education, advanced nursing service count, education for patient/ family, education for nurse, and compliance. Advanced nursing service count, education for patient/ family, and education for nurse are currently used as indicators by more than 70% of respondents. Conclusion: Additional research is needed to identify subsets of performance indicators for specialized areas and to determine the validity and sensitivity of indicators.