Intensive and Critical Care Nursing
Volume 24, Issue 3 , Pages 187-196 , June 2008

The current role of the consultant nurse in critical care: Consolidation or consternation?

  • Deborah Dawson

      Affiliations

    • St George's Hospital NHS Trust, GICU, 1st Floor St Jame's Wing, St George's Hospital, Blackshaw Road, London SW17 0QT, United Kingdom
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +44 208 725 3129.
    • ,
  • Maureen Coombs

      Affiliations

    • Southampton University Hospitals Trust, School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Southampton, United Kingdom

,Accepted 17 December 2007.

References 

  1. Ball C. Planning for the future: advanced practice in critical care. Intens Crit Care Nurs. 1997;13(1):17–25
  2. Ball C. Clarifying advanced nursing practice in critical care. In: Plenary Presentation of the Royal College of Nursing Critical Care Forum Annual Conference. Bristol. June 2001;
  3. Ball C, Cox C. Part one: restoring patients to health—outcomes and indicators of advanced nursing practice in adult critical care. Int J Nurs Pract. 2003;9(6):356–367
  4. Ball C, Cox C. Part two: the core components of legitimate influence and the conditions that constrain or facilitate advanced nursing practice in adult critical care. Int J Nurs Pract. 2004;10(1):10–20
  5. Benner P, Tanner CA, Chesla CA. Expertise in nursing practice: caring clinical judgement and ethics. New York: Springer; 1996;
  6. Booth J, Hutchison C, Beech C, Robertson K. New nursing roles: the experience of Scotland's consultant nurse/midwives. J Nurs Manage. 2006;14:83–89
  7. Brown R. The politics of specialist/advanced practice: conflict or confusion. Br J Nurs. 1995;4(16):944–948
  8. Castledine G. The role and criteria of an advanced nurse practitioner. Br J Nurs. 1996;5(5):288–289
  9. Coad S, Haines S. Supporting staff caring for critically ill patients in acute care areas. Nurs Crit Care. 1999;4:245–248
  10. Conway J. Nursing expertise and advanced practice. UK: Quay Books Dinton; 1996;
  11. Coster S, Redfern S, Wilson-Barnett J, Evans A, Peccei R, Guest D. Impact of the role of nurse, midwife and health visitor consultant. J Adv Nurs. 2006;55(3):352–363
  12. Dawson D, McEwen A. Critical care without walls: the role of the nurse consultant in critical care. Intens Crit Care Nurs. 2005;21(6):334–343
  13. Dawson D, McEwen A. The influence of outreach in the development of the nurse consultant role in critical care: cause or effect?. Intens Crit Care Nurs. 2006;22(1):4–11
  14. Department of Health . Making a difference: strengthening the nursing, midwifery and health visiting contribution to health and healthcare. London: The Stationary Office; 1999;
  15. Department of Health . Nurse, midwife and health visitor consultants—establishing posts and making appointments (HSC 1999/217). London: The Stationary Office; 1999;
  16. Department of Health . Comprehensive critical care. A review of adult critical care. London: The Stationary Office; 2000;
  17. Department of Health . Approval of nurse, midwife and health visitor consultant posts PL CNO (2003) 5. London: The Stationary Office; 2003;
  18. Department of Health . Critical care outreach—progress in developing services. London: The Stationary Office; 2003;
  19. Fairley D, Jose Closs S. Evaluation of a nurse consultant's clinical activities and the search for patient outcomes in critical care. J Clin Nurs. 2006;15:1106–1114
  20. Garbett R, McCormack B. The experience of practice development: an exploratory telephone interview study. J Clin Nurs. 2001;10:94–102
  21. Guest D, Redfern S, Wilson-Barnett J, Dewe P, Peccei R, Rosenthal P, et al. A preliminary evaluation of the establishment of nurse, midwife and health visitor consultants. London: King's College; 2001;
  22. Guest D, Peccei R, Rosenthal P, Redfern S, Wilson-Barnett J, Dewe P, et al. An evaluation of the impact of nurse, midwife and health visitor consultants. London: King's College; 2004;
  23. Haines C. The establishment of a nurse consultant role in paediatric intensive care: a reflective analysis. Nurs Crit Care. 2002;7(2):73–83
  24. Hamric AB, Spross JA. The clinical nurse specialist in theory and practice. 2nd ed.. Philadelphia: WB Saunders; 1989;
  25. Humphreys A, Jonson S, Richardson J, Stenhouse E, Watkins M. A systematic review and meta-synthesis: evaluating the effectiveness of nurse, midwife/allied health professional consultants. J Clin Nurs. 2007;16:1792–1808
  26. Intensive Care Society . Guidelines for the introduction of outreach services. London: Intensive Care Society; 2002;
  27. Manley K. Operationalising an advanced practice/consultant nurse role: an action research study. J Clin Nurs. 1997;6:179–190
  28. Manley K, McCormack B. Practice development: purpose, methodology, facilitation and evaluation. Nurs Crit Care. 2003;8(11):22–29
  29. NHS Employers. Nursing Services Job Profiles 4th December 2006. Last accessed 3rd October 2007. http://www.nhsemployers.org/pay-conditions/pay-conditions-262.cfm.
  30. Salvage J. NT This Week Nursing Times; 1998:94(39):22.
  31. Scholes J, Furlong S, Vaughan B. New roles in practice: charting three typologies of role innovation. Nurs Crit Care. 1999;4(6):268–275
  32. Scottish Executive . Modernising nursing careers. Setting the direction. Edinburgh: Scottish Executive; 2006;
  33. Stephen H. Consultants—medical and nursing. Nurs Stand. 1999;13(28):12
  34. Unsworth J. Practice development: a concept analysis. J Nurs Manage. 2000;8:317–326
  35. Woodward VA, Webb C, Prowse M. Nurse consultants: their characteristics and achievements. J Clin Nurs. 2005;14:845–854
  36. Woodward VA, Webb C, Prowse M. Nurse consultants: organizational influences on role achievement. J Clin Nurs. 2006;15:272–280

PII: S0964-3397(07)00125-5

doi: 10.1016/j.iccn.2007.12.002

Intensive and Critical Care Nursing
Volume 24, Issue 3 , Pages 187-196 , June 2008

Article Tools