Abstract
Background:
Growing complexity in healthcare is a direct consequence of ageing and higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular disease and cancer. This requires transformation of the healthcare workforce by developing learning and development opportunities that will attract and retain staff. Expert practice roles have been developed to provide this leadership across allied health, nursing and midwifery internationally. However, the term expert is yet to be defined. An international scoping review is required to identify and synthesise existing literature to clarify the definitions of expert practice, explore learning and development pathways leading to, and to sustain, this level of practice.
Methods:
This scoping review protocol will be informed by the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews. EMBASE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Grey Literature will be rigorously searched. Two independent reviewers will conduct the searches, assess for eligibility and undertake a quality assessment. A 3-phase analysis will follow to interrogate the data; phase 1 and 2 will be content analysis, and phase 3 will be thematic analysis.
Ethics and dissemination:
No personal, confidential or primary data will be collected so ethical approval is not required. The results of this review will be shared by publication in a journal.
Growing complexity in healthcare is a direct consequence of ageing and higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular disease and cancer. This requires transformation of the healthcare workforce by developing learning and development opportunities that will attract and retain staff. Expert practice roles have been developed to provide this leadership across allied health, nursing and midwifery internationally. However, the term expert is yet to be defined. An international scoping review is required to identify and synthesise existing literature to clarify the definitions of expert practice, explore learning and development pathways leading to, and to sustain, this level of practice.
Methods:
This scoping review protocol will be informed by the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) extension for scoping reviews. EMBASE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Grey Literature will be rigorously searched. Two independent reviewers will conduct the searches, assess for eligibility and undertake a quality assessment. A 3-phase analysis will follow to interrogate the data; phase 1 and 2 will be content analysis, and phase 3 will be thematic analysis.
Ethics and dissemination:
No personal, confidential or primary data will be collected so ethical approval is not required. The results of this review will be shared by publication in a journal.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 146-149 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | International Journal for Advancing Practice |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2 Jul 2025 |
| Externally published | Yes |