Emergency Nursing in the Emergency Department: A Scoping Review of Nursing Tasks

Emergency nursing in the emergency department involves a broad range of clinical, relational, and organizational tasks. Although emergency nurses play a central role in patient care and safety, descriptions of their tasks are dispersed across the literature. We aimed to map and synthesize the existing evidence describing emergency nursing tasks in the emergency department.

A scoping review was conducted using established methodology and Joanna Briggs Institute guidance. PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Excerpta Medica Database, and Web of Science were searched for English-language studies published from 2010 to 2025. Reference lists were also screened. Empirical studies addressing general emergency nursing tasks in hospital emergency departments were included. Of note, 2 reviewers independently undertook study selection, quality appraisal, and data extraction. Findings were synthesized narratively. The search was conducted in March 2026.

Overall, 73 studies from 25 countries were included. A total of 6 interrelated categories captured the scope of emergency nursing tasks: initial patient encounter, clinical vigilance, clinical interventions, fundamental care needs, coordinating care, and everyday clinical leadership. The findings showed that emergency nursing is enacted as an integrated and adaptive practice rather than as a series of isolated tasks.

Emergency nursing in the emergency department encompasses a broad and interconnected range of tasks that are essential to safe and effective care. Making this scope of practice more explicit may strengthen understanding of emergency nurses' contributions and support education, workforce development, and quality improvement in emergency care settings.