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The AANA determines the scope of nurse anesthesia practice. It is important for all members to understand the scope of practice that governs their work to better practice their profession and mentorship. In January 2013, the AANA Board of Directors charged the Practice Committee to revise the Scope of Nurse Anesthesia Practice. A systematic review of literature, focus groups, and a survey were conducted. Major focus group themes were identified, and survey results were analyzed to identify relationships between variables. The literature search resulted in 8,739 abstracts. Forty-six articles were reviewed. Full scope of advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) practice was a recurrent theme across the literature. Focus group themes include: (1) elements of nurse anesthesia practice; (2) future practice opportunities; (3) interprofessional collaboration; (4) full scope of practice; (5) autonomous practice; and (6) barriers to practice and recommendations. Of the 4,200 CRNA survey respondents, 44.6% are not permitted to practice to their full scope of practice. The revised Scope of Nurse Anesthesia Practice embodies the comprehensive span of nurse anesthesia practice.
Keywords: Advanced practice registered nurse, nurse anesthesia, practice barriers, scope of practice.
The Scope of Nurse Anesthesia Practice reflects the professional role and responsibilities of the nurse anesthetist by detailing education, accountability, and leadership roles. The document broadly discusses core elements of nurse anesthesia practice and offers insight into the future of the nurse anesthesia profession for patients, facilities, legislators, regulators, accreditors, educators, payers, and other interested parties.
In January 2013, the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA) Practice Committee and Professional Practice staff began the systematic review of the literature and engagement of the members to develop the contemporary Scope of Nurse Anesthesia Practice reflecting the comprehensive span of nurse anesthesia services. In February 2013, on recommendation from the Practice Committee, the AANA Board approved the separation of the Scope and Standards for Nurse Anesthesia Practice into two documents.
Methods
Systematic Literature Review
Search strategy. The AANA evidence-based process was used to revise the Scope of Nurse Anesthesia Practice. PubMed and Google Scholar online electronic databases were accessed using these search terms and primary MeSH keywords: licensure, accreditation, certification, education, barriers to practice, and scope of practice.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria. The international literature search was limited to English language...