The Role and Scope of Practice of Nurse Practitioners in the Care of Adults with Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Primary Health Care : A Scoping Review

Abstract

Globally, chronic respiratory diseases pose a significant burden on people’s health and primary healthcare systems. In primary healthcare, nurse practitioners have become essential health care professionals in the management of chronic diseases. The aim of this scoping review was to explore the nurse practitioners’ role and scope of practice in the care of adults with chronic respiratory diseases in primary health care settings in a global context with a review question of what the roles and scope of practice of nurse practitioners in the care of adult patients with chronic respiratory diseases in primary health care are. A scoping review methodology was utilized in this study. The scoping review identified seven relevant studies published in English between January 2010 and March 2023 through a comprehensive search of databases CINAHL, PubMed, JBI Ebp, Medline, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar.

Studies focusing on nurse practitioners in primary healthcare, chronic respiratory diseases in the adult population, and the role and scope of practice of nurse practitioners in the treatment of these conditions were all included in the inclusion criteria. The included studies were summarized based on their relevancy to the scoping review question. The major results obtained from the studies were: 1) Nurse practitioners’ role as a provider of clinical care, 2) Nurse practitioners’ role as a collaborator, 3) Nurse practitioners’ role as a prescriber, and 4) Nurse practitioners’ role in non-pharmacological management and patient education. In conclusion, nurse practitioners working in primary health care play a critical role in the management of chronic respiratory diseases. The role and scope of practice of NPs go beyond those of registered nurses and include coordination of services, holistic care, and prescription authority. This scoping review highlights the need to better understand the role and scope of practice of NPs in the care of adults with chronic respiratory diseases in primary healthcare settings.