title: Advanced nursing practice--the influences and accountabilities.
abstract: The past two decades have seen a proliferation of new, advanced clinical roles for nurses in the UK which has resulted in much debate about the nature of advanced practice as these new roles involve many tasks that were traditionally considered the remit of doctors. This article critically analyses the professional accountabilities of working at an advanced level and the influences which are driving the NHS modernization agenda with particular reference to the role of the Community Matron. It concludes that advanced nursing practice presents an opportunity for the combination of the art of nursing and advanced tasks, but emphasizes that new roles must develop within a recognized framework which takes account of the educational, ethical and legal accountability issues and clarifies the scope and remit of roles for health professionals, patients and indemnifying agents.
authors.affiliation: Halton and St Helens Primary Care Trust, Merseyside.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wiseman
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003152:Community Health Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D003659:Decision Making, Organizational; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000458:organization & administration; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009718:Nurse Administrators / Q000458:organization & administration; D009720:Nurse Clinicians / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009745:Nursing, Supervisory / Q000458:organization & administration; D016134:Organizational Policy; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D011634:Public Health; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012956:Societies, Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration