Research Agenda - NAPNAP

Research Agenda

In December 2005, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners’ (NAPNAP) Executive Board approved the development of a NAPNAP Research Agenda. A task force was appointed and charged with creating a mechanism to determine the priorities for a research agenda and the process to create one. Our research committee recently revised the research agenda and the NAPNAP 2021-2026 Research Agenda was approved by the NAPNAP Executive Board on August 10, 2021.   

Our goal in developing this research agenda is to identify gaps in evidence for practice, thus providing direction for research activities to NAPNAP, as well as other organizations, and to facilitate the work of individual scientists who address these gaps. Read more about the research agenda’s development process.  

Download a copy of  the NAPNAP 2021-2026 Research Agenda . 

NAPNAP 2021-2026 Research Agenda

Overview

The mission of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) is to empower pediatric-focused advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and key partners to optimize child and family health. To support this mission and the NAPNAP strategic plan, the NAPNAP 2021-2026 research agenda was developed to identify urgent and emergent pediatric-focused research and clinical priorities. The research agenda content was determined by input from the NAPNAP membership and the expertise of the NAPNAP Research Committee members with guidance and final approval from the NAPNAP Executive Board.

The Challenge

Despite many challenges facing our profession, NAPNAP’s mission to optimize child and family health is a priority and critical to the well-being of the health of our country. These challenges require rapid adaptation to contextualize how research priorities identified by NAPNAP’s membership and leaders transverse multiple socioecological influences on child health and the complex risk factors that must be considered in the interest of protecting our most valuable assets – our children. Some of these challenges stem from:

  1. Decreased pediatric health care workforce numbers with critical shortages predicted
  2. Successes in pediatric health care
    • Increased survival of children with chronic health conditions, disability, and life-limiting illnesses that require an increased workforce and expanded care models to include transitions in care and improvements in self and family management
    • Increased public health and political awareness of the impact of adverse childhood experiences on lifelong health, necessitating changes in preparation of pediatric health care providers to identify, manage, mitigate, or prevent adverse childhood experiences
  3. Technological advances that impact healthcare delivery
    • Consumer reliance on digital and user-generated content as a reliable source of health information
    • Rapid innovation in electronic health records, evolving reimbursement models, and increased data utilization without well-established mechanisms for collaboration and consolidation of data sharing between hospital systems and community pediatric providers
  4. Continuation (and worsening) of long-standing national public health crises:
    • Health inequities
    • Racial injustices
    • Rising social and mental health problems
  5. Epidemics/pandemics
    • Disproportionate health effects on marginalized communities
    • Pronounced lack of psychological and economic resources leading to an exacerbation of determinants of health that lead to further health inequities
    • Vaccine hesitancy
  6. Reduction in research funding in the field of pediatrics

Research and Scholarship to Address Current Challenges

NAPNAP is committed to engaging pediatric-focused APRNs and other key pediatric partners in innovative research, evidence-based and quality improvement projects, and scholarship that address the challenges listed above. Moreover, NAPNAP endorses the use of intersectionality and biosocial frameworks when addressing these challenges. These frameworks highlight the multiplicity of children’s and families’ lived experience, the influence of sociopolitical power, and the mutually constituting forces of biology and socioecological environments that impact the health and well-being of children and families across the lifespan.

Development of this research agenda and identification of research priorities is a key method of fulfilling NAPNAP’s mission as well as the 2020-2023 strategic plan and future strategic plans. The core areas of the strategic plan – child health and wellness, membership engagement, association outreach and operational infrastructure and sustainability – are embedded in the 2021-2026 NAPNAP research agenda. The NAPNAP Research Committee supports members interested in building diverse, inclusive, sustainable, and innovative programs of research, and provides expertise to support the development of a diverse pipeline of pediatric-focused APRNs seeking doctoral education, including DNP and PhD tracks. As such, in partnership with the NAPNAP Executive Board, the NAPNAP Research Committee will operationalize this agenda by: 1) Communicating the agenda to all NAPNAP members through publication, NAPNAP website and social media platforms; 2) Integrating of the agenda into the annual call for conference abstracts and other educational opportunities to disseminate information; 3) Enhancing research strategic goals by sharing the research agenda and priorities with NAPNAP committees and task forces and ensure the agenda and priorities remain current and relevant to NAPNAP’s mission and goals; and 4) Advocating for additional sources of funding by exploring external audiences such as foundations and the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research and by partnering with academic programs in collaborative research.

The following is a diagram summarizing the research priorities for the NAPNAP 2021-2026 research agenda. Within each theme, specific research and/or clinical priority areas are identified. These are meant to be a guide to researchers and clinicians looking to study child health. Determinants of Health has been further divided into five categories guided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Research Agenda Graphic

Members of the Research Committee throughout the revision: 

Monica R. Ordway, PhD, APRN, PPCNP-BC, IBCLC (NAPNAP Research Chair, 2019-2022)
Sharon M. Karp, PhD, APRN, CPNP (NAPNAP Research Co-chair, 2020-2022)
Jessica Bahorski, PhD, APRN, PPCNP-BC, WHNP-BC
Christina Calamaro, PhD, PPCNP-BC, FNP-BC (NAPNAP Foundation Liaison)
Cynthia A. Danford, PhD, CRNP, PPCNP-BC, CPNP-PC (AFPNP Liaison)
Katherine F. Davis, PhD, RN, APRN, CPNP-PC, FAAN
Julianne Doucette, DNP, APN, CPNP
Catherine J. Goodhue, MN, RN, CPNP
Amie Koch, DNP, FNP-C, RN, ACHP
Cherry Leung, PhD, CPNP
Mikki Meadows-Oliver, PhD, MPH, PNP-BC, FAAN
Angela A. Northrup, PhD, RN, FNP
Kaitlyn Rechenberg, PhD, MPH, PNP-PC

History of NAPNAP’s Research Agenda

Research Agenda Process Task Force Members (2005-2006):

Kathy Sawin, DNS, CPNP, FAAN (Chair)
Arlene Butz. ScD, RN, CPNP
Pam Hellings, PhD, RN, CPNP
Madelyn McMurtrie, MSN, CPNP
Ric Ricciardi, PhD, NP, FAANP
JoAnn Serota (Ex-Officio)
Martha Swartz, PhD, RN, CPNP

The Task Force provided recommendations for a thorough process and a proposed timeline, which was approved by NAPNAP’s Executive Board in the fall of 2006. In December 2006 a Research Agenda Work Group was  appointed by President Patricia Clinton and began to implement the extensive process. The agenda will provide  NAPNAP members and others interested in pediatric health care with identified priority areas for research and knowledge development, providing a roadmap for ways to  improve the quality of evidence-based health care for  children and families. NAPNAP strategic plan provided the  beginning foundation for the research agenda and valuable  input from NAPNAP members at large, NAPNAP committee members, NAPNAP special interest group  members, NAPNAP Foundation board and the Association of Faculties of PNPs board members was integrated. The  research priorities address both gaps in our current  evidence and evidence needed for practice in the future.

Research Agenda Work Group (RAWG) Members (2006-2008):
Kathy Sawin, DNS, CPNP, FAAN, Coordinator
Margaret Brady, PhD, RN, CPNP
Arlene Butz, ScD, RN, CPNP
Agatha M. Gallo, PhD, RN, CPNP, FAAN
Dolores Jones, EdD, RN, CPNP, CAE
Linda Lewin, PhD, APRN, BC
Vicky Niederhauser, DrPH, APRN, PNP
Christine Schindler, MSN, CPNP
Cindy Trent, MS, CPNP, AE-C

The document was posted for public comment from April 1-30, 2008. The group that evaluated the comments and suggested the final revisions included the RAWG and the following members of the NAPNAP Research Committee: 

Christina Calamaro, PhD, CRNP
Juanita C. Dale, PhD, RN, CPNP
Catherine Goodhue, MSN, RN, CPNP
Tracy Magee, PhD, RN, CPNP
Rita Pickler, PhD, RN, PNP

Additional review was provided by the Chair of the NAPNAP Foundation Research Committee:

Catherine Burns, PhD, CPNP

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