title: Self-reported activities and outcomes of ambulatory care staff registered nurses: an exploration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ambulatory care is a growing field of nursing practice. As ambulatory registered nurse (RN) practice grows, there has been an ongoing effort to identify the desired role of the staff RN in outpatient care and to provide linkages to preferred outcomes.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to describe the perceived impact of components of the staff RN role on specific activities and outcomes, as guided by the structures, processes, and outcomes of the Nursing Role Effectiveness Model.
  
  
  METHODS
  This exploratory research study used a descriptive, self-report survey design.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Survey respondents were ambulatory care staff RNs from various primary and specialty care clinics (n = 187) in an integrated health care organization in Southern California. The most frequently reported activities included patient assessment, nurse advice during message management, and completion of patient triage. Reported patient outcomes most frequently affected by RN activities were patient satisfaction, normalization of laboratory values, receiving the correct level of medical treatment, and prevention of complications. Respondents expressed that "emergency situations" periodically occur in the ambulatory setting.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This research study supports what ambulatory care RNs say they are doing: daily, diverse, and complex patient care activities that influence multiple relevant patient outcomes. Future research studies could reveal best practices related to message management, in addition to activities and outcomes unique to specialty care populations.
authors.affiliation: Project Manager for Patient Care Services in the Regional Nursing Research Program for Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Pasadena. june.l.rondinelli@kp.org.
authors.forename: June L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Rondinelli
authors.affiliation: Senior Director for Clinical Practice for Patient Care Services for Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Pasadena. anna.k.omery@kp.org.
authors.forename: Anna K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Omery
authors.affiliation: Project Manager in Patient Care Services in the Regional Nursing Research Program for Kaiser Permanente Southern California in Pasadena. cecelia.l.crawford@kp.org.
authors.forename: Cecelia L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.affiliation: Director of Regional Nursing Education and Research for the Southern California Permanente Medical Group in Pasadena. joyce.a.johnson@kp.org.
authors.forename: Joyce A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D002140:California; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000458:organization & administration; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care