CLASSIFICATION OF APN FUNCTIONS USING THE TAXONOMY OF TRANSITIONAL FOLLOW-UP CARE (ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES, HOME CARE).
Contributors: University of Pennsylvania.
Published: 1995
Number of pages: 129
Subjects: Health Sciences, Nursing.
Description: The identification and classification of nursing practice functions has been identified as a major gap in the development of nursing knowledge (Lang, 1989). It is a crucial step needed to consistently document nursing effectiveness in improving patient outcomes, by linking nursing process and outcomes. The first step in this process is to classify the functions of APNs.

In this study the functions of APNs who cared for women who received early hospital discharge and home follow-up post cesarean delivery were classified using the Taxonomy of Transitional Follow-up Care (Arnold, 1991). This study was a secondary data analysis of the larger randomized control trial "Early Discharge of Women Post Unplanned Cesarean Birth".

The APNs recorded all nursing functions in caring for the early discharge patients on a standardized semi-structured log sheet. All nursing process recordings from the experimental-early discharge group (n = 61) were classified using the principles of latent content analysis to place data into the Taxonomy of Transitional Follow-up Care.

The Taxonomy of Transitional Follow-up Care was effective in capturing the functions of the APN. At level 1 of the Taxonomy, the most used categories were assessment and intervention. The direct care, teaching, and counseling categories contained the majority of functions at level 2 of the Taxonomy. At level 3 of the Taxonomy, the physiological category accounted for the largest number of functions. Only the general health and self/dependent care categories accounted for more than 10% of the functions at level 4 of the Taxonomy. There were statistically significant differences in percentages of functions based on site of care (hospital versus home) at levels 1 and 2 of the Taxonomy. There were no statistically significant differences in functions based on morbidity and educational status of patients. In addition, the Taxonomy was evaluated and recommendations for modifications and additions to the Taxonomy provided.
Notes: Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-08, Section: B, page: 4245.

Thesis (PH.D.)--UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA, 1995.

School code: 0175.