Mapping the provision of care by nurse practitioners in virtual health care clinics: a scoping review protocol

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this scoping review will be to chart the evidence in relation to the provision of care by nurse practitioners in virtual health care clinics. INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted health care systems, providers, and patients to rapidly shift to virtual care settings. Four years later, virtual care continues to be a focal point of health care delivery with the ensuing spread of both hybrid models (ie, a blend of in-person and virtual care) and virtual clinics (ie, virtual-only service delivery platforms with built-in electronic medical records). Nurse practitioners are identified globally as essential components of the effective and sustainable delivery of health care models. However, while both virtual care and nurse practitioners are recognized as critical cornerstones of health care innovation, there is a gap in what is known about care provision by nurse practitioners in virtual clinics. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Articles exploring care provided by nurse practitioners in virtual health care clinics will be included. Eligible articles will focus on characteristics of nurse practitioners and their provision of virtual care, as well as the barriers and facilitators of care provision. Clinic settings will include those that offer longitudinal and/or episodic care. METHODS: This review will follow the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. The search strategy will aim to locate published and unpublished studies, with no date restrictions. Databases to be searched will include MEDLINE (Ovid), CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Embase (Ovid), Scopus, and PsycINFO (EBSCOhost), as well as ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global for gray literature. Data will be extracted and organized using a tool informed by the PEPPA conceptual framework and reported in narrative format, accompanied by a tabular summary. REVIEW REGISTRATION: OSF https://osf.io/uf6qg.