A closed-book, multiple-choice examination following this article tests your under standing of the following objectives:1. List 3 key factors that influence ventilator weaning. 2. Define a scoping review. 3. Describe the steps in conducting a scoping review.To read this article and take the CNE test online, visit www.ajcconline.org and click "CNE Articles in This Issue." No CNE test fee for AACN members.By Louise Rose, PhD, Katie N. Dainty, PhD, Joanne Jordan, PhD, and Bronagh Blackwood, PhDBackground Weaning from mechanical ventilation is influenced by patient, clinician, and organizational factors.Objective To identify factors that may influence weaning and adoption of weaning strategies and tools, clinicians' perceptions of weaning strategies, and weaning experiences of patients and patients' families. Method A scoping review of indexed and nonindexed publications was done. Qualitative studies of health care providers, patients, and patients' families involved in weaning were included. Two investigators independently screened 8350 publications and extracted data from 43 studies. Study themes were content analyzed to identify common categories and themes within the categories. Results The study sample consisted of nurses in 15 studies, nurses and patients in 1 study, various health care providers in 11, patients in 10, and physicians in 4. Categories identified were as follows: for nurses, role or scope of practice, informing decision making, and influence on weaning outcome; for health care providers, factors influencing weaning decisions or use of protocols, role or scope of practice related to weaning, and organizational structure or practice environment; for patients, experience of mechanical ventilation and weaning, experience of the intensive care environment, psychological phenomena, and enabling success in weaning; and for physicians, tools or factors to facilitate weaning decisions and perceptions of nurses' role and scope of practice. However, even for these easy-to-wean patients, organizational and clinician factors such as staffing levels, skill mix, experience, and decision-making hierarchy influence the weaning process and can delay weaning and extubation. Such delays may result in prolonged duration of mechanical ventilation and stay in the intensive care unit (ICU) and increased costs.3 Approximately 30% of patients treated with mechanical ventilation experience difficult or prolonged weaning. 4 For these patients, similar organizational and clinician factors influence the duration and success of weaning. Because of the risk of further prolongation of mechanical ventilation, reintubation, and increased mortality, 5,6 identification of potentially modifiable factors that cause delays in weaning, unsuccessful weaning trials, and unsuccessful attempts in extubation is needed.An important step in ascertaining patient, clinician, and organizational factors that influence weaning is obtaining the views and perceptions of clinicians, patients, and patients' families who experience the process. Using...