Enablers, Barriers, and Contributions of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners to Ambulatory Specialty Care.

• Nurse practitioners (NPs) contribute to patient care, coordination, and education in pediatric specialty settings. • Enablers include mutual trust, role clarity, and organizational structure. • Barriers include ineffective teamwork, lack of resources and complex communication systems. The objective of this study was to explore the enablers of and barriers to the contribution of nurse practitioners (NPs) in pediatric specialty care. A total of 11 NPs in pediatric medical specialties were interviewed regarding teamwork, communication, documentation, satisfaction, overall role, and perception of the value they contribute to care. Themes were identified related to structural and organizational enablers and barriers that facilitate or hinder the NPs' contribution to pediatric specialty care. The findings of this study can provide a better understanding of the role of NPs caring for pediatric patients in the specialty setting and can also help guide organizational environments to maximize the potential of pediatric NPs to positively affect patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]