Nurse practitioner models of care in aged care: a scoping review protocol

The objective of this review is to identify current and potential use of nurse practitioner models of care in aged care and to examine factors that have been linked to their failure or success in terms of establishment, sustainability, and expansion.

Nurse practitioners work across a variety of sectors, including aged care. Nurse practitioner models of care have been found to be safe, effective, and highly regarded by clients and patients across many areas. They have particular benefit in areas where access to physicians is challenging, as well as for vulnerable populations. This review will provide a consolidated evidence base to determine the current state of the evidence on nurse practitioner models of care in the aged care sector.

The review will consider studies on nurse practitioner models of care within aged care that report barriers/challenges and facilitators/success factors to their establishment, sustainability, and expansion. Evidence from all countries will be examined. Published and gray literature primary studies in English produced from 2010 onward will be eligible for inclusion. Expert opinion, including literature reviews, commentaries, and discussion, papers will be ineligible.

This review will utilize the JBI methodology for scoping reviews and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Databases to be searched include MEDLINE, Emcare, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus. Figurative, tabular, and accompanying narrative synthesis will be used to present the results, in line with the review questions.