title: The revised scope of nurse anesthesia practice embodies the broad continuum of nurse anesthesia services.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburg, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Neft
authors.forename: Kymika
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okechukwu
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.forename: Lynn
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Reede
mesh_terms: D057179:Advanced Practice Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003625:Data Collection; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D009719:Nurse Anesthetists / Q000458:organization & administration*