Learning Objective #1: Identify factors in adoption or rejection of clinical innovations into nurse practitioner practice

Learning Objective #2: Identify factors that make some clinical innovations emotionally-laden for nurse practitioners

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Nurse practitioners (NPs) are the fastest growing group of Advanced Practice Nurses in the U.S.A., with 90,000 in practice today. NPs fill an advanced practice role that is particularly dependent on the acquisition and adoption of large amounts of biomedical knowledge on a variety of topics from many sources. The majority of NPs practice in primary care settings, making clinical decisions with a high degree of independence and a low degree of clinical review. A variety of theories have been useful in guiding exploration of NP decision-making in general but have not been widely used for, or particularly suited to, looking at the adoption of new clinical innovations by this group. The way in which NPs learn about clinical innovations, form opinions about those innovations, and decide to incorporate innovations into their clinical practice is largely unknown. Even less is known about emotionally laden clinical innovations. This study explores the process of deciding to adopt or reject an emotionally laden clinical innovation by NP participants. A qualitative research approach, using Grounded Theory methodology, is used in this study. Practicing NPs are interviewed individually to obtain data. The goal of the study is the development of a grounded theory related to the process of adoption of emotionally laden clinical innovations into NP practice. Nurses are experiencing an explosion of clinical knowledge from many sources and are making decisions incorporating this new knowledge into their practice. A sophisticated understanding of how new knowledge in incorporated or rejected by nurses within the practice of the discipline is a prerequisite to the intelligent development of nursing research and nursing education. Support of timely and appropriate adoption of clinical knowledge benefits nursing and is vital in meeting the social mandate to address the health needs of the public for the betterment of society.