Advanced nurse practitioners in municipal healthcare as a way to meet the growing healthcare needs of the frail elderly: a qualitative interview study with managers, doctors and specialist nurses

BACKGROUND: The number of frail elderly people with complex nursing and medical care needs is increasing, and consequently, the healthcare burden. The implementation of Advanced Nurse Practitioners globally has been shown to make healthcare more effective and increase patient safety, continuity of care and access to care. In Sweden, research about Advanced Nurse Practitioners is limited. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the opinions of managers, doctors and nurses in primary care and municipal healthcare about the role of ANPs in municipal healthcare as a way to meet the increasing healthcare needs of the frail elderly. METHODS: Managers, doctors and specialist nurses in primary care and municipal healthcare adopted a qualitative, descriptive design through 12 semi-structured interviews. The data were analysed using content analysis. RESULTS: The participants expressed both opportunities as well as challenges with Advanced Nurse Practitioners in municipal healthcare. This role considered to satisfy frail elderly people’s healthcare needs and making the healthcare more effective as the doctors would have more time for other patients. The challenges mainly consist of doubts from the managers whether the nurses would be motivated to pursue further education to become an Advanced Nurse Practitioner if the role becomes a reality. The doctors were unsure if the nurses would consider taking the responsibility the role would imply. CONCLUSIONS: Advanced Nurse Practitioner is considered to be a valuable resource not only for the frail elderly but also for the nurses in the municipal healthcare and for the doctors in primary care as they probably would make healthcare more effective. They might be a way to meet the increasing healthcare needs of frail elderly, however there are also challenges to overcome before they can become a reality in a Swedish healthcare context. Consequently, this role deserves further investigation. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12912-017-0258-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.