Having reviewed existing clinical activity databases, the advanced practice data currently collected at national, NHS board and operational level was mapped out with suggestions for future data capture.

Generic core clinical activity data include:

• patient demographics
• levels of intervention
• history-taking appropriate to individual cases
• assessment and investigation
• decision-making and diagnosis
• treatment planning (including referral pathways and discharge)
• non-medical prescribing
• recurrence
• emotional support and information
• teaching and coaching
• coordinating and navigating
• rescue work
• complaints
• seeking and giving second opinions
• consultancy.

Some of these characteristics are more easily measured than others, but there is growing interest in developing a core list of nursing-sensitive outcomes. Examples might include symptom management, functional status, patient safety (such as infection and rescue work), psychological distress and economic impact (preventing an unscheduled admission, for instance).

It may be possible to benchmark the key components of advanced nursing practice using the key KSF level descriptors to describe increasing level of complexity and knowledge/skill required to perform the 'event/task'.

It may also be possible to identify different 'levels' of practitioners' practice using routinely collected data. For example, computerised systems in accident and emergency departments currently collect large volumes of data on thousands of patients and electronic records in other settings capture clinical decision-making, diagnosis, treatment and prescribing. Many patients in these settings are managed by nurse practitioners and the nature and level of their decision-making could be captured to add a further layer of analysis to the role mapping.