ReviewHuman resources for health2024
Effects of task-shifting from primary care physicians to nurses: an overview of systematic reviews.
Review in Human resources for health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Healthcare provider experiences integrating mental illness screening and management into hypertension care: qualitative systematic review.Health promotion international · 2026Pooled it
- Sustainable implementation of practice-based research networks in primary care: a qualitative process evaluation of the Bavarian Research Practice Network (BayFoNet).BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Collaborative Primary-Care Workforce Models: An Integrative Review of Evidence Informing RN Prescriber Integration with Family Physicians and Nurse Practitioners.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- The general practice workforce crisis in Europe: scale of the challenge and available policy responses.The Lancet. Primary care · 2026Review
- Examples of Systemic Solutions for Skill-Mix Issues-An Analysis of International Experiences with a Focus on Rural Areas.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Juggling conflicting demands: registered nurses' experiences of goal conflicts in acute illness consultations in primary care - a thematic analysis.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Building the future of UK primary care: expanding roles of general practice nurses and patient perspectives.BMC primary care · 2026Review
- Gestational Weight Gain Counseling Insights from Healthcare Providers and Saudi Women: Riyadh Mother and Baby Follow-Up Study (RAHMA Explore).Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Telemedicine implementation and healthcare utilization in Rwanda: interrupted time series of babyl digital health services from 2015 to 2024.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Skill mix in primary care, working hours, time used on management, and burnout among general practitioners.Family practice · 2025Article
- Activity-based planning of primary care utilization in a model of prospective demand for workforce.Human resources for health · 2025Article
- Are nurse-led patient consultations acceptable for the general practitioners and practice nurses in Germany? Results from a cross-sectional survey in two federal states.Family medicine and community health · 2025Article
- A Comprehensive Evaluation of Feasibility and Acceptability of a Nurse-Managed Health Clinic for Homeless and Working Poor Populations: A 3-Year Study.Nursing reports (Pavia, Italy) · 2025Article
- Improving Healthcare through the Skills Mix of the Workforce.Zdravstveno varstvo · 2025Article
- Pediatricians' Perspectives on Task Shifting in Pediatric Care: A Nationwide Survey in Japan.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Impact of a Novel Electronic Medical Record-Integrated Electronic Form (Provider Asthma Assessment Form) and Severe Asthma Algorithm in Primary Care: Single-Center, Pre- and Postobservational Study.JMIR formative research · 2025Observational
- Assessing Task-Shifting Progress in Obstetrics and Gynecology: A Nationwide Survey of Japanese Obstetricians and Gynecologists.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- A sustainable public health framework for PCOS management in low- and middle-income countries: a narrative review.Frontiers in reproductive health · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundTask-shifting from primary care physicians (PCPs) to nurses is a means of overcoming PCP shortages and meeting the needs of patients receiving primary care. The aim of this overview of systematic reviews is to assess the effects of delegation or substitution of PCPs' activities by nurses on patient relevant, clinical, professional and health services-related outcomes.
methodsWe conducted a systematic literature search for secondary literature in Medline, Embase, Pubmed, the Cochrane Library, and the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL). We included systematic reviews and meta-analyses that analysed randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and controlled, prospective trials in English and German. Abstracts and full-text articles were screened independently by two reviewers. Full-text articles were assessed using the Overview Quality Assessment Questionnaire. After data extraction a narrative synthesis was performed. We defined patient-relevant outcomes as our primary outcomes.
resultsWe included six systematic reviews. The interventions included first contact, history taking and assessment, patient education, review of drug treatment, referrals to GPs and other health professionals, ordering further investigations and ongoing care. Two meta-analyses showed a relative risk reduction of mortality in favour of nurse-led care, whereby the reduction in one analysis was significant. The effect was highest in the group of more highly qualified nurse practitioners (RR 0.19), as opposed to nurse practitioners (RR 0.76) and registered nurses (RR 0.92). Two meta-analyses showed a relative risk reduction in hospital admissions and patient satisfaction. Whereas care conducted by physicians and registered nurses led to the same outcomes, care conducted by nurse practitioners led to better outcomes (RR 0.74). An analysis according to nursing group showed that patients were more satisfied with treatment by registered nurses (SMD 1.37) than with treatment conducted by nurse practitioners and more qualified nurse practitioners (SMD 0.17). In terms of patient-relevant outcomes, no differences were observed between physician-led care and nurse-led care in terms of physical function, quality of life and pain.
conclusionNurse-led care is probably as safe or safer than physician-led care in terms of mortality and hospital admissions. However, the impact of nursing staff training has not been sufficiently examined.
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