Background: The advanced practice role of the Nurse Consultant is unique in its capacity to provide clinical\nleadership across a range of contexts. However, the Nurse Consultant role has been plagued with confusion due to\nlack of clarity over function and appropriateness for purpose within health organisations across contexts. Changing\nhealth service delivery models are driving the emergence of new nursing roles, further clouding the waters related\nto role positioning and purpose. There is an urgent need for evidence of impact and demonstration of how Nurse\nConsultants contribute to health care outcomes. This study aims to gain a clearer understanding of the Nurse\nConsultant role and its impact in metropolitan and rural New South Wales (NSW) Australia.\nDesign: The proposed study employs a sequential mixed method design, underpinned by Realistic Evaluation, to\nexplore how Nurse Consultants contribute to organisational outcomes. The ââ?¬Ë?context ââ?¬â?? mechanism ââ?¬â?? outcomeââ?¬â?¢\napproach of realistic evaluation provides a sound framework to examine the complex, diverse and multifaceted\nnature of the Nurse Consultantââ?¬â?¢s role.\nMethod: Participants will be stakeholders, recruited across a large Local Health District in NSW, comprising rural\nand metropolitan services. A modified and previously validated survey will be used providing information related to\nrole characteristics, patterns and differences across health context. Focus groups with Nurse Consultantââ?¬â?¢s explore\nissues highlighted in the survey data. Focus groups with other clinicians, policy makers and managers will help to\nachieve understanding of how the role is viewed and enacted across a range of groups and contexts.\nDiscussion: Lack of role clarity is highlighted extensively in international and Australian studies examining the role\nof the Nurse Consultant. Previous studies failed to adequately examine the role in the context of integrated and\ncomplex health services or to examine the role in detail. Such examination is critical in order to understand the\nsignificance of the role and to ascertain how Nurse Consultants can be most effective as members of the health\ncare team. This is the first Australian study to include extensive stakeholder perspectives in order to understand the\nrelational and integrated nature and impact of the role across metropolitan and rural context.
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