ClinicalTrials.gg
Enrolling by invitationNCT07693023IPAPUpdated Jul 9, 2026

Implementation of Advanced Practice Nurses for Specific Patient Groups

An observational study in Evaluate Structures, Processes, and Experiences Related to the Implementation of APN Roles, sponsored by Paracelsus Medical University. Enrolling by invitation at 1 site in Austria. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-07-09.

Sponsored by Paracelsus Medical University · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Other
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
125
Ages
18 Years to 70 Years
Sex
All
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Study summary

Problem and Relevance Due to the complexity of caring for individuals with various health conditions and their individual needs, new care models aligned with the current state of scientific knowledge are highly relevant in nursing practice. One such model involves the deployment of Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs), who are educated at master's level and therefore possess an advanced understanding of theories and models, as well as enhanced competencies in patient care. The implementation of APNs has been associated with, among other outcomes, reduced hospital readmission rates, improved patient quality of life, enhanced quality of care and nursing services, and increased job satisfaction among nursing staff.

Objective The objective of the accompanying study is to evaluate structures, processes, and experiences related to the implementation of APN roles at Salzkammergut Hospital Vöcklabruck, part of Oberösterreichische Gesundheitsholding, within the clinical areas of urology and andrology, pulmonology, visceral surgery, and vascular surgery. The aim is to identify facilitating and hindering factors affecting APN implementation. Furthermore, recommendations for the sustainable integration of APNs into clinical practice will be developed.

Design The evaluation is planned as a mixed-methods study using a convergent parallel design.

Methods As part of the accompanying research on APN role implementation, existing structures and processes within the hospital, as well as the perspectives of APNs and members of the intra- and interprofessional healthcare team, will be examined and jointly interpreted within a convergent parallel design. Based on these findings, recommendations for sustainable APN implementation will be derived. Both qualitative data (collected through individual interviews and focus group interviews) and quantitative data (collected through standardized questionnaires and a structure-process assessment tool) will be gathered. Qualitative data will be analyzed using Kuckartz's qualitative content analysis with the support of the software MAXQDA24. Quantitative data from the standardized questionnaires will be analyzed descriptively using SPSS version 30, while data from the structure-process assessment tools will be analyzed using Microsoft Excel.

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Conditions studied

  • Evaluate Structures, Processes, and Experiences Related to the Implementation of APN Roles

Keywords

  • Advanced Practice Nursing
  • Structure-Process-Evaluation
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In context

Lead sponsor

Paracelsus Medical University is the lead sponsor of 33 studies on the registry; 7 are open to participants now.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

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Who can participate

Ages eligible
18 Years to 70 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

  • Registered Nurses holding a consecutive master's degree (300 ECTS credits), Junior APN
  • Senior APN (master's degree holder), responsible for mentoring and supporting the Junior APNs within the hospital setting;
  • Members of the intraprofessional team (Registered Nurses and Nursing Assistants); and
  • Members of the interprofessional team who collaborate with the APNs in the care of the respective patient populations (physicians, allied health professionals, and therapists).

Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.

Inclusion criteria

  • Registered Nurses holding a consecutive master's degree (300 ECTS credits), Junior APN
  • Senior APN (master's degree holder), responsible for mentoring and supporting the Junior APNs within the hospital setting;
  • Members of the intraprofessional team (Registered Nurses and Nursing Assistants); and
  • Members of the interprofessional team who collaborate with the APNs in the care of the respective patient populations (physicians, allied health professionals, and therapists).

All employees at Salzkammergut Hospital Vöcklabruck

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • not an employee at Salzkammergut Hospital Vöcklabruck
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Study design

Observational model
Other
Time perspective
Other
Enrollment
125 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • APN Implentation

    Evaluation of Structures, Processes, and Intra- and Interprofessional Team Experiences in the Context of Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) Role Implementation

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What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Structure-Process-Matrix

    developed in-house survey of structures (resources, time allocations) and processes (requirements, consultations) regarding APN implementation

    Time frame: From enrollment to the end lasts 12 month

Other outcomes

  1. Cologne Role Development in Advanced Practice Nursing Questionnaire revised

    Identification of APN's responsibilities and role during the APN implementation process

    Time frame: at three timepoints during the implementation phase at the beginning, after 6 months and after 12 months

  2. Questionnaire on the Perception of Advanced Practice Nurses - Practice Patterns and Role Perception

    developed in-house survey on collaboration with APNs across 7 subcategories (direct patient care, support for departmental/institutional processes and workflows, research and evidence-based practice, education, publishing and professional leadership, perception of improvements in health care, anticipated expanded APN role in patient care) in 27 items using a 5-point Likert scale (ranging from "to a very high degree" to "not at all") nd four items using a 3-point Likert scale (ranging from "improve" to "no effect") and two open-ended statements.

    Time frame: at the end of implementation phase in month 12

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Study locations

1 site
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References and documents

Publications

  • Tracy, M. F. & O´Grady, E. (Hrsg.). (2019): Hamric and Hanson´s advanced practice nurs-ing: an integrative approach. (6.Aufl.). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier.
  • Schober, M., Lehwaldt, D., Rogers, M., Steinke, M., Turale, S., Pulcini, J., Roussel, J., Stewart, D. (2020). Guidelines on advanced practice nursing. Geneva, Switzerland

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided — only IPD used in the results publication

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Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
ElapsedEstimatedEstimated, not yet reached

Started Mar 2026 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Sep 2027, 18 months after the start.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jun 24, 2026
First posted
Jul 9, 2026
StartActual
Mar 1, 2026
Primary completionEst.
Sep 30, 2027
CompletionEst.
Sep 30, 2027
Last update
Jul 9, 2026
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jul 9, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07693023
Lead sponsor
Paracelsus Medical University
Collaborators
Oberösterreichische Gesundheitsholding GmbH
Responsible party
Nadja Nestler (University Professor, Paracelsus Medical University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 9, 2026
Start date
Mar 1, 2026
Primary completion
Sep 30, 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Sep 30, 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Jul 9, 2026

Study contacts

Stefanie Berger, MScN, BScN
principal investigator · Paraceslsus Medical Private University

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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