Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2024
DOI
10.1371/journal.pone.0305008
Publication Title
PLOS ONE
Volume
19
Issue
7
Pages
e0305008
Abstract
Introduction
The World Health Organization (WHO) called for the expansion of all nursing roles, including advanced practice nurses (APNs), nurse practitioners (NPs) and clinical nurse specialists (CNSs). A clearer understanding of the impact of these roles will inform global priorities for advanced practice nursing education, research, and policy.
Objective
To identify gaps in advanced practice nursing research globally.
Materials and methods
A review of systematic reviews was conducted. We searched CINAHL, Embase, Global Health, Healthstar, PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, DARE, Joanna Briggs Institute EBP, and Web of Science from January 2011 onwards, with no restrictions on jurisdiction or language. Grey literature and hand searches of reference lists were undertaken. Review quality was assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP). Study selection, data extraction and CASP assessments were done independently by two reviewers. We extracted study characteristics, country and outcome data. Data were summarized using narrative synthesis.
Results
We screened 5840 articles and retained 117 systematic reviews, representing 38 countries. Most CASP criteria were met. However, study selection by two reviewers was done inconsistently and language and geographical restrictions were applied. We found highly consistent evidence that APN, NP and CNS care was equal or superior to the comparator (e.g., physicians) for 29 indicator categories across a wide range of clinical settings, patient populations and acuity levels. Mixed findings were noted for quality of life, consultations, costs, emergency room visits, and health care service delivery where some studies favoured the control groups. No indicator consistently favoured the control group. There is emerging research related to Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Conclusion
There is a large body of advanced practice nursing research globally, but several WHO regions are underrepresented. Identified research gaps include AI, interprofessional team functioning, workload, and patients and families as partners in healthcare.
Rights
Copyright: © 2024 Kilpatrick et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Data Availability
Article states: " All relevant data are within the manuscript and its supporting information files."
Original Publication Citation
Kilpatrick, K., Savard, I., Audet, L.-A., Costanzo, G., Khan, M., Atallah, R., Jabbour, M., Zhou, W., Wheeler, K., Ladd, E., Gray, D. C., Henderson, C., Spies, L. A., McGrath, H., & Rogers, M. (2024). A global perspective of advanced practice nursing research: A review of systematic reviews. PLOS ONE, 19(7), e0305008. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0305008
ORCID
0000-0002-0946-3939 (Gray)
Repository Citation
Kilpatrick, Kelley; Savard, Isabelle; Audet, Li-Anne; Costanzo, Gina; Khan, Mariam; Atallah, Renee; Jabbour, Mira; Zhou, Wentao; Wheeler, Kathy; Ladd, Elissa; Gray, Deborah C.; Henderson, Colette; Spies, Lori A.; McGrath, Heather; and Rogers, Melanie, "A Global Perspective of Advanced Practice Nursing Research: A Review of Systematic Reviews" (2024). Nursing Faculty Publications. 85.
https://digitalcommons.odu.edu/nursing_fac_pubs/85
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