Whitfield, Martha M., Bleah, Paulina, Concepcion Bachynski, Jovina, Macdonald, Danielle, Klein, Tracy, Ross-White, Amanda, Mimirinis, Mike ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1835-9348 and Wilson, Rosemary (2024) Capability as a concept in advanced practice nursing and education: a scoping review. JBI Evidence Synthesis.

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Abstract

Objective: The objective of this review was to map the literature about the concept of capability in advanced
practice nursing education and practice to achieve greater clarity on the concept and its application.
Introduction: Advanced practice nursing roles make up a growing segment of the global nursing workforce.
Capability has been proposed as an overarching description of the attributes of advanced practice nursing roles
within complex workplace environments. Capability includes knowing how to learn, and the ability to creatively
integrate prior knowledge, skills, judgment, and experience in both new and familiar situations.
Inclusion criteria: This review looked at the literature about capability applied to advanced practice nursing in
any setting globally. We were guided by the International Council of Nurses’ definition of advanced practice
nursing, which includes nurses with both graduate education and an expanded scope of practice. Drawing from an
initial review of the literature, we used a working definition of capability, which was a combination of knowledge,
skills, experience, and competencies that enables advanced practice nurses to provide appropriate care for patients
in both known and unfamiliar clinical settings. We included literature about individual capability as a concept in any
setting related to advanced practice nursing and education.
Methods: We searched 18 electronic databases and included qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods study
design methodologies, reviews, and reports. The gray literature search included policy and practice documents
from the World Health Organization, the International Council of Nursing, and websites of 48 nursing and health
organizations. Two reviewers independently completed title and abstract screening prior to full-text review and
data extraction. Conflicts were resolved via discussion or with a third reviewer. Extraction was completed by 2
reviewers using a piloted data extraction tool. Articles published in English from 1975 to the present were included.
Sources in languages other than English were not included in the review due to the difficulties in accurately
translating the concept of capability.
Results: Thirty-five sources were included in the review with publication dates from 2000 to 2023. Most sources
originated from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Sources included frameworks and
clinical guidelines, peer-reviewed articles, and gray literature. Capability was discussed in a range of settings,
including specialized clinical roles. Applications of capability in educational settings included the use of capability
frameworks to guide nurse practitioner education, nursing practice doctorates, and postgraduate nurse practitioner
training. Definitions of capability, where provided, were relatively consistent. Capability was proposed as a
distinguishing characteristic of advanced practice nursing, as a descriptor of clinical proficiency that moved beyond
competency, and as a framework that accounted for complexity in health care settings.
Conclusions: Capability was used as a concept and framework to describe advanced practice nursing within
complex practice environments that necessitate flexible approaches. Capability frameworks were applied holistically and to specific areas of practice or education, including in pre- and postgraduate advanced practice
nursing education. Strategies for teaching and learning capability focused on flexibility, student-directed learning,
and development of flexible learning pathways.
Supplemental digital content: A Norwegian-language version of this abstract of this review is available: http://
links.lww.com/SRX/A58
Keywords: capability framework; complexity; knowing how to learn; scoping review; self-efficacy

Item Type:	Article
Identifier:	10.11124/JBIES-23-00201
Additional Information:	A freely available protocol.
Subjects:	Medicine and health > Nursing
Depositing User:	Mike Mimirinis
Date Deposited:	25 Aug 2024 14:37
Last Modified:	28 Sep 2024 15:19
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/12348

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