Nurse practitioner/physician collaborative models of care: a scoping review protocol

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Services Research
• Nursing Practice

Background:

• Long-term care (LTC) homes faced primary care access challenges pre-pandemic.
• Legislative changes enabled nurse practitioners (NPs) to serve as Medical Directors in Ontario, Canada.
• Optimal NP-physician collaboration is essential for resident care in LTC.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map existing evidence on collaborative NP-physician care models in LTC homes.
• To identify structures, processes, and outcomes of these collaborative models.
• To inform the development of a collaborative practice framework for LTC leadership.

Main Methods:

• Scoping review guided by Arksey and O'Malley framework and PRISMA-ScR.
• Searched multiple electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo, etc.) and grey literature.
• Included English-language studies describing NP and physician collaborative models in LTC.

Main Results:

• This section is to be filled after the review is conducted.

Conclusions:

• Consolidates current knowledge on NP/physician collaborative models in LTC.
• Provides a foundation for developing best practices in LTC primary care.
• Aims to enhance clinical leadership and resident care through collaborative frameworks.