Mapping the characteristics of task-shifting and task-sharing phenomena involving nurses: a scoping review protocol

This scoping review will map the characteristics of task shifting and task sharing involving nurses.

Amid a persistent global shortage of health care professionals, task shifting and task sharing are increasingly adopted to meet health care demands. Nurses form the largest group of skilled health care professionals worldwide, and they are key actors in these phenomena. Task shifting involves transferring tasks from one individual to another, while task sharing refers to collaborative responsibility for a task. Although widely discussed in the literature, some aspects involving nurses have not yet been mapped, such as the settings and characteristics of these practices.

This review will consider evidence sources on task shifting or sharing to or from nurses, involving health care or non-health care professionals. Eligible sources will include primary and secondary studies employing quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods designs. Dissertations and policy documents will also be considered. Only studies published from 2008 onward will be considered, with no language restrictions applied.

A comprehensive literature search will be conducted in databases such as PubMed, Embase, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global (ProQuest), along with gray literature and the reference lists of relevant studies. Two reviewers will independently screen all records and assess full texts for eligibility. Data extraction will be performed using a structured tool developed and piloted by the reviewers. Results will be mapped and analyzed using descriptive statistics and content analysis. Findings will be presented using tables, charts, and graphs aligned with the review's subquestions.

OSF https://osf.io/w748g.