PhD student Amanda Anderson published in American Journal of Nursing

In “Care Coordination: A Concept Analysis,” Anderson discusses the lack of clarity in care coordination roles across disciplines and within the nursing profession. While care coordination is a well-known concept, she notes that this ambiguity contributes to ineffectiveness in implementing care coordination in policy and practice.

Anderson’s analysis provides a basis for continued study of care coordination in nursing. She notes that further investigation of the value of nurse-specific competencies and expertise in improving care coordination roles and systems.

“Studies measuring nurse-specific involvement in patient targeting, collaborative complex information exchange, tailored assessment, and structured outcomes scaled to patient population and complexity could further this analysis, validate an operational definition, and provide subsequent role clarity that could result in nurse-centric policy change,” Anderson says.

“Nurses should take strategic, evidence-based action to solidify the place of this vital practice within our profession.”

Anderson, along with UB School of Nursing Associate Professor and co-author Sharon Hewner, PhD, RN, FAAN was selected to participate in a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars leadership program last Fall, where her focus is care transitions for medically complex homeless people in Buffalo.