Mary Lou Manning

The increasing complexity of infectious diseases (ID) care, including antimicrobial stewardship, emerging pathogens, outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy, and expanding immunocompromised populations, has significantly broadened the role of nurse practitioners (NPs) in IDs practice. Concurrent challenges, including antimicrobial resistance, recurrent pandemics, evolving immunization guidelines, and vaccine hesitancy, further underscore the need for specialized expertise. This article proposes formal recognition of IDs as a NP subspecialty and outlines a framework for a postgraduate certification for Infectious Diseases Nurse Practitioners. The proposed competencies are grounded in the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties’ NP Role Core Competencies and align with the 2021 American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials for Advanced Nursing Education. The framework also incorporates a One Health perspective, recognizing the interconnected influences of human, animal, and environmental health on ID management. Establishing a structured pathway for advanced training and certification may strengthen the NP workforce and enhance the delivery of comprehensive, evidence-based ID care.

Introduction: Research findings and knowledge translation are typically disseminated via presentations at professional meetings and publication in peer‐review journals. However, other opportunities to translate research evidence into practice exist, including the use of visual cues.Aim: The aim of this paper is to describe the collaborative process of translating key research findings into a clear and compelling visual communication tool.Design: As part of a multimodal research dissemination strategy, the researchers partnered with the University Health Communication Design Program faculty to develop a visual communication strategy to promote the use of antibiotic time‐outs by nurses in a health system. An environmental poster was identified as an appropriate mode of communication for its potential to convey a message quickly, impactfully, and economically.Methods: Five‐step systematic approach, including feedback from end‐users.Results: To augment our research dissemination strategy, an action‐oriented visual communication tool in the form of a 36x48 inch poster was created within four weeks and placed in the work environment. Unit nursing leaders and staff decided on poster locations for maximum nurse engagement with the message.Conclusion: Creating visual communication to display scientific information is an important skill, but most nurse researchers never receive any formal training that encourages participation in collaborative development of visual communication tools. Our collaboration, was iterative, reflective, and provided a unique opportunity for shared learning. Partnering with health communication designers to expand research reach and impact is invaluable and should be considered as part of a dissemination strategy.Clinical relevance: Clinical nurses' benefit from ‘seeing’ the science narrowed to a simple message in order to spark dialogue or remind them what they need to ‘do’.