TOPLINE:

Hematology advanced nurse practitioners (ANPs) received high satisfaction scores from both clinicians and patients, although role clarity remained an area for improvement, according to a cross-sectional study.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey of satisfaction among patients and clinicians with the role of hematology ANPs at a major tertiary cancer center in England, collecting responses from 118 participants (75% female) between December 2022 and February 2023.
• Participants comprised two cohorts: Group A (n = 94; 79% female; 43% Asian or Asian British) included staff nurses (Bands 5-7 of the National Health Service Agenda for Change) and medical practitioners (from foundation year 2 to specialist senior registrar), and Group B (n = 24; 63% female), which included patients diagnosed with hematology-related disorders.
• The analysis included a 20-item scale to assess satisfaction with the role of hematology ANPs, with statements adapted from the Professionalism Assessment Tool, and covered four domains: personal attributes, professionalism, role clarity and versatility, and clinical competence.

TAKEAWAY:

• Participants reported high overall satisfaction with the service provision and clinical competence of hematology ANPs, with a mean score of 4.6 and a total sum of 92.4 on the 20-item scale. No significant differences in scores were reported among nurses, medical practitioners, and patients.
• The satisfaction scale demonstrated a high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha, 0.96; P < .001), confirming its effectiveness in measuring role components.
• Overall, most participants agreed on recommending hematology ANPs and found them competent (mean satisfaction scores, 9.1 and 9.3, respectively). Medical practitioners gave the highest satisfaction ratings, with scores of 9.7 and 9.6 for role recommendation and competence, respectively.
• According to the researchers, scores on the role clarity and versatility subscale remained low compared with those on other subscales, particularly among patients, but the difference was not statistically significant.

IN PRACTICE:

“The consistently high satisfaction levels establish HANPs [hematology ANPs] as integral, well-respected members of the multidisciplinary team in the cancer center,” the authors of the study wrote. “This scale can be used in clinical practice to support HANPs’ annual appraisals and in future research for broader validation,” they added.

SOURCE:

The study was led by Jerico A. Baylon, RGN, BSN, MSc, ALNP, National Centre for Human Retrovirology, Imperial College Healthcare National Health Service Trust, St Mary’s Hospital, London, England. It was published online on January 02, 2026, in the International Journal for Advancing Practice.

LIMITATIONS:

The small sample size of the study, the disproportionate number of respondents among the three participant groups (patients, nurses, and medical doctors), and the focus of the study on a single cancer center limited the generalizability of the findings. Additionally, the study did not capture the perspectives of hematology ANPs themselves, and the survey lacked options for different languages or accessibility plugin tools, which may have limited participation.

DISCLOSURES:

No funding was received for the study. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.