Identifying the Priorities to Develop Advanced Practice Nursing in Mexico Using a Delphi Study

Introduction: Advanced practice nursing is well established in many countries. However, in Mexico the role has not been implemented. The aim of this paper was to establish consensus, via expert stakeholder engagement, on the priorities to develop advanced practice nurse (APN) roles nationally in Mexico. Methods: A 2-round Delphi technique was employed. Along with using data from in-depth interviews with health care professionals in Mexico, a review of the published literature was also undertaken. A total of 25 statements using a Likert scale from not important (1) to very important (4) were developed for round 1. Those working in positions with an interest in advanced practice nursing were invited to participate. A context index validity of 0.8 was applied for round 1, and those that scored above 0.8 were used for round 2 where participants were asked to rank the statements in order of priority. Results: Thirty-one experts participated in round 1 and 14 in round 2. A total of 12 statements were scored with a content validity index above 0.8, and these were ranked for round 2. The statements reflected key areas around advanced practice nursing from workforce issues to regulation, education, and career progression. The key priorities were the need for a national regulatory framework and clear definition of APN roles. Conclusions: These statements will now be used to support the case for how advanced practice nursing should be developed in Mexico at a national level addressing the health care needs of the population and help toward building a strong APN workforce.