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Nursing Reports
Special Issues
Advanced Nursing Practice: Expanding Roles, Improving Outcomes
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Advanced Nursing Practice: Expanding Roles, Improving Outcomes

A special issue of Nursing Reports (ISSN 2039-4403).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1309

Editors

Dr. Francisco Javier García Sánchez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Medical Department, Faculty of Medicine, University Complutense of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: nursing; emergency; internal medicine; nursing practice; sarcopenia; surgical prehabilitation
Dr. Itziar Hoyos Cillero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Nursing I, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of the Basque Country, 48940 Bizkaia, Spain
2. Research Group National Observatory of School Nursing, General Nursing Council of Spain, 28023 Madrid, Spain
Interests: nursing; nursing students; health; nursing practice
Dr. Natalia Mudarra García

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal (IRYCIS), 28034 Madrid, Spain
2. Nursing Department, Faculty of Nursing, Phisiotherapy and Podology, University Complutense of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: nursing; emergency; internal medicine; nursing practice; sarcopenia; surgical prehabilitation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Advanced practice nurse (APN) has become a cornerstone in the transformation of healthcare delivery systems worldwide. In response to increasing clinical complexity, aging populations, and growing healthcare demands, APN roles—such as nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and advanced practice registered nurses—are expanding their scope of practice in diverse settings. These professionals contribute significantly to improving access, continuity, and quality of care through autonomous decision-making, advanced clinical competencies, and leadership in multidisciplinary teams.

This Special Issue seeks to explore the development, implementation, and evaluation of APN roles across different healthcare systems. We welcome original research, case studies, and systematic reviews examining educational pathways, regulatory frameworks, interprofessional collaboration, and clinical outcomes associated with APN. Contributions that address barriers and facilitators to role integration and sustainability, as well as comparative international experiences, are particularly encouraged.

Dr. Francisco Javier García Sánchez
Dr. Itziar Hoyos Cillero
Dr. Natalia Mudarra García
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nursing Reports is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • advanced nursing practice
  • nurse practitioner
  • health systems innovation
  • role expansion
  • interprofessional collaboration
  • clinical leadership
  • quality of care
  • healthcare access
  • evidence-based practice
  • workforce transformation

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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17 pages, 248 KB  
Article
Advancing Clinical Competence Through Interprofessional Education: Perspectives and Experiences of Healthcare Professionals and Clinical Educators
by Kholofelo Lorraine Matlhaba
Nurs. Rep. 2026, 16(7), 256; https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep16070256 - 21 Jul 2026
Viewed by 222
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Advancing clinical competence within contemporary healthcare systems requires innovative educational approaches that bridge professional silos. While Interprofessional Education (IPE) is globally recognized as a mechanism to enhance teamwork, its implementation within resource-constrained public health systems marked by historical and structural inequalities remains [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Advancing clinical competence within contemporary healthcare systems requires innovative educational approaches that bridge professional silos. While Interprofessional Education (IPE) is globally recognized as a mechanism to enhance teamwork, its implementation within resource-constrained public health systems marked by historical and structural inequalities remains poorly understood. This study explored the perspectives and experiences of healthcare professionals and clinical educators regarding how interprofessional education (IPE) may contribute to clinical competence in selected South African public hospitals. Methods: A qualitative descriptive design was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 purposively selected healthcare professionals and clinical educators from nursing, medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, and social work. Interviews were conducted at selected hospitals following approval from hospital Chief Executive Officers. Data were collected by the researcher and co-researcher who is not part of this manuscript, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Ethical clearance and institutional permissions were obtained, and informed consent was secured from all participants. Trustworthiness was ensured through credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability. Findings: The thematic analysis yielded two primary patterns: (1) the perceived capacity of IPE to enhance clinical decision-making, communication, and collaborative practices; (2) systemic and structural constraints, including rigid professional hierarchies, severe time constraints, and a lack of formally institutionalized opportunities. Conclusions: IPE is perceived as an important contributor to collaborative clinical competence, but its sustainability depends on explicit institutional mandates. These findings imply that hospital managers and curriculum developers must transition from ad hoc interactions to structured, short-duration interdisciplinary platforms to overcome operational bottlenecks. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nursing Practice: Expanding Roles, Improving Outcomes)

Other

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13 pages, 220 KB  
Protocol
Nurse Practitioner Care for Hospitalized Children: A Scoping Review Protocol
by Juliana Choueiry, Catherine Chong, Stephanie Lemay, James S. Hutchison and Megan Greenough
Nurs. Rep. 2026, 16(6), 179; https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep16060179 - 25 May 2026
Viewed by 529
Abstract
Background: Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are increasingly integrated into pediatric inpatient teams in response to evolving healthcare needs and workforce challenges. However, evidence describing how NP roles are operationalized, implemented, and sustained in general pediatric ward settings remain fragmented. Objective: This scoping [...] Read more.
Background: Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are increasingly integrated into pediatric inpatient teams in response to evolving healthcare needs and workforce challenges. However, evidence describing how NP roles are operationalized, implemented, and sustained in general pediatric ward settings remain fragmented. Objective: This scoping review will synthesize international literature on NP roles in general pediatric inpatient settings, with a focus on determinants of role implementation. Guided by the Participatory, Evidence-based, Patient-focused Process for Advanced Practice Nursing (PEPPA) framework, this review will examine implementation strategies, outcomes, timelines, facilitators, barriers, and required resources to inform future integration and evaluation. Methods: This scoping review will be conducted in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology and reported following PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A PRESS-reviewed search strategy will be applied to Scopus, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Cochrane Central, ProQuest, grey literature, and reference lists for English and French language studies published from 2016 onward. Studies relating to NP roles in general pediatric wards internationally will be included. Data extraction and synthesis will be structured using the PEPPA framework’s implementation domain. Findings will be summarized descriptively and presented in tables and narrative synthesis. Conclusions: A targeted synthesis focused on determinants of NP role implementation in this context is needed. This review will clarify how NPs roles have been integrated in general pediatric wards, highlight enabling and constraining factors, and will identify gaps to guide future research, practice redesign, and policy development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Nursing Practice: Expanding Roles, Improving Outcomes)
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