Knowledge and research about nursing professional autonomy. Narrative review

Abstract

Introduction: The discipline of Nursing is situated in a transcendental moment because, among other, the scientific developments which are being incorporated into the healthcare process are to be utilized by autonomous nurses. Thus, this study is aimed at narratively reviewing the concept of autonomy.

Objective: To describe the concept, measurement, and related research, regarding professional autonomy among nursing students.

Development: Professional autonomy has accompanied the evolution of nursing from, at some points being invisible, to now being an explicit part of the profession’s definition and practice. Because of this, the construct’s measurement has become more important. Three types of instruments have been suggested: those with a focus in the exploration of attitudes of nurses and patients; those with a perspective towards the nurses’ performance; and those based on specific characteristics such as sex and expertise. These instruments have been mainly used in transversal studies for comparisons.

Conclusions: Given the importance of the concept, considering the scant information related to the description, measurement, and assessment as a nursing professional identity construct, and also considering the scant Spanish-published related studies, a need was identified to do research with longitudinal designs and validated instruments which can reveal the factors associated with the development and strengthening of professional autonomy in nursing personnel.