Advanced practice nursing roles, tasks, and outcomes in ophthalmology : A scoping review

Abstract

The aim of this scoping review was to describe advanced practice nursing roles and tasks in ophthalmology globally and to identify the outcomes for patients, healthcare professionals and leaders. Fourteen articles were identified from CINAHL and PubMed databases. The articles were published between 2012-2022, written in English and described either roles, tasks, or outcomes of advanced practice nursing in ophthalmology. Material was analyzed by using inductive content analysis. Majority of the articles were conducted in the United Kingdom, while quantitative methodology was the most common choice for research methodology. The results of this scoping review are that in ophthalmology, advanced practice nurses have roles, which are linked to coordination, counselling, management, and autonomous practice. The most common tasks are clinical procedures, history taking, triaging and acute eye care, management plan and prescription of medicines. The outcomes of advanced practice nurse role are comparable what is previously known about topic. The advanced practice nurses enable faster access to services, reduce waiting times and improve patient satisfaction. However, despite of positive outcomes, for some patients the role is still unfamiliar. The role of advanced practice nurse in ophthalmology seems well established in the United Kingdom, however, further research is needed how the role could be implemented in the Finnish healthcare system.