Elsevier

Nursing Outlook

Volume 61, Issue 6, November–December 2013, Pages 447-457
Nursing Outlook

Article
Education
Academic Service Partnerships: What do we learn from around the globe? A systematic literature review

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2013.02.001Get rights and content

Abstract

Background

Academic Service Partnerships (ASPs) are structural linkages between universities and service entities that aim to share vision and collaboration, thereby improving patient care quality and encouraging innovation.

Purpose

To identify structured ASPs in nursing worldwide and to describe their characteristics.

Method

Systematic literature review of PubMed-, CINAHL-, PsycINFO-, and Embase- listed studies published up to August 31, 2010. ASPs were described in view of a predefined set of criteria.

Results

A total of 114 articles describing 119 ASPs were included. Of these, 85% were located in North America. The median duration of ASPs was 6 years (interquartile range, 2–6). The majority focused on education (86%) and clinical practice (50%). Community health facilities (57%) and hospitals (40%) were prime settings. Twenty-two percent of ASPs were defined by contracts, 3% were governed by bylaws, and 66% were part of strategic plans (28%). Funding sources were mentioned in 76%. However, although 66% of ASPs have been evaluated, the evaluations are generally neither consistent nor reliable.

Conclusions

ASPs show variability in setup, and their development seems to be fueled by policy reports.

Section snippets

Methods

This study used a systematic literature review methodology based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines (Engberg, 2008; Moher, Liberati, Tetzlaff, & Altman, 2009) to identify and describe characteristics of structured ASPs in nursing. Querying the PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Embase electronic databases yielded 114 papers that met the following inclusion criteria: a publication date between the inception of the database and August 31, 2010; a

Results

Of a total of 544 eligible titles and abstracts, 114 papers describing 119 ASPs were available for analysis (Figure 1). Thirty-five percent qualified as highly structured ASPs, and the remainder (65%) was moderately structured. The earliest described in our review was from 1974, followed by an increase in ASP use after 1991, and a further increase after 2003 (Figure 2). Median duration of their partnerships at time they were described in the literature was 6 years (interquartile range, 2–6;

Discussion

To our knowledge, this is the first systematic literature review to identify structured nurse-driven ASPs worldwide and describe their characteristics. This review is timely because recently published reports on the Future of Nursing in the United Kingdom and the United States (“Front Line Care,” 2010; NRC, 2002) emphasize the importance of creating partnerships at all levels of the health care system, not only with patients and their families but also with consumer groups, other health care

Conclusion

Fueled by policy reports calling for their creation, ASPs have evolved from collaborations primarily supporting nursing education into a myriad of differently aimed endeavors. Found predominantly in the United States, ASPs increasingly are emerging as a promising vehicle to enhance innovation in nursing and health care. On the basis of the available publications, sufficient funding and open communication are the most reported facilitators. However, to gain further insights regarding

Acknowledgment

We thank Chris Shultis, medical editor, for having reviewed our manuscript.

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