Established advanced practice roles in radiation therapy: A scoping review

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Professions
• Radiation Oncology
• Advanced Practice

Background:

• Advanced practitioners are skilled healthcare professionals improving service efficiency and patient care.
• While established in some areas, advanced practice roles are not widespread in radiation therapy globally.
• These roles offer specialized expertise within healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and scope existing literature on established advanced practice roles in radiation therapy.
• To identify the means of role establishment and scope of practice for advanced practitioners in radiation therapy.
• To determine the advantages and challenges associated with advanced practice radiation therapist roles.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search using the PRISMA strategy was conducted.
• Databases searched included EMBASE and PubMed with keywords: 'Advanced', 'Practice', 'APRT', 'Radiation', 'Therapy', 'Radiotherapy'.
• Citation lists and grey literature were screened; exclusion criteria were applied.

Main Results:

• 35 relevant sources were identified, focusing on advanced practice radiation therapy roles in the UK, Singapore, Canada, Australia, and the USA.
• Key aspects of role establishment and scope of practice were defined.
• Identified advantages and challenges for advanced practice radiation therapists were documented.

Conclusions:

• Implementing advanced practice roles in radiation therapy offers significant benefits to patients, therapists, and departments.
• Despite implementation challenges, the evidence supports the value of these roles.
• A systematic approach with quantitative outcome reporting could facilitate broader adoption.