Abstract
Background: Virtual care is increasingly used to improve access to primary care (1,2). However, the roles of primary care nurses (i.e., nurse practitioners [NPs], registered nurses [RNs], licensed practical nurses [LPNs]) in virtual care delivery are not clearly defined. A better understanding of these roles can improve their integration and optimization in virtual primary care delivery and the availability and quality of virtual primary care (3,4).
Objectives: The purpose of this scoping review was to identify and map the international literature on nurses’ roles in virtual care delivery in primary care.
Methods: Following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology (5), we searched academic databases for published literature and webpages for grey literature sources. We included studies that described the roles of nurses (NPs, RNs, LPNs) in providing virtual primary care. We excluded studies that focused on nurses’ use of digital technologies without nurse-patient interaction (6).
Results: After screening potential sources, we included 34 sources from countries such as United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Australia, and Sweden. Most were specific to RNs (n=12) or did not specify a regulatory designation (n=12). Primary care nurse roles in virtual care were mostly related to care coordination, chronic disease management, and triage and assessment using various modalities (e.g., telephone, video). Many factors influenced nurses’ roles in virtual care, such as patient/nurse experiences, training/support, access to resources/equipment, and ethical/privacy concerns.
Conclusions: Nurses are well-positioned to provide virtual care based on their diverse roles across primary care settings; however, their roles could be better optimized to improve primary care access and quality.
Notes
References:
1. Jamieson T, Wallace R, Armstrong K, et al. Virtual care: a framework for a patient-centric system. Women’s College Hospital Institute for Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care, 2015.
2. Hensel JM, Lemoine J, Bolton SL, et al. When “virtual” works and when it doesn’t: A survey of physician and patient experiences with virtual care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Digit Health. 2024;10:20552076241258390. doi:10.1177/20552076241258390
3. Busca E, Savatteri A, Lorenza Calafato T, Mazzoleni B, Barisone M, Dal Molin A. Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of nurse’s role in primary care settings: an integrative review. BMC Nurs. 2021;20(171). doi:10.1186/s12912-021-00696-y
4. Rouleau G, Wu K, Parry M, Richard L, Desveaux L. Providing compassionate care in a virtual context: Qualitative exploration of Canadian primary care nurses’ experiences. Digit Health. 2024;10. doi:10.1177/20552076231224072
5. Peters M, Godfrey C, McInerney P, Munn Z, Trico A, Khalil H. Chapter 11: Scoping reviews. JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis, 2020. doi:10.46658/JBIMES-20-12
6. Vaughan C, Lukewich J, Mathews M, et al. Nursing contributions to virtual models of care in primary care: a scoping review protocol. BMJ Open. 2022;12. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065779
Sigma Membership
Rho Rho
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Primary Care, Primary Health Care, Patient Care, Interprofessional and Interdisciplinary, Workforce, Occupational Roles, Telemedicine
Recommended Citation
Vaughan, Crystal; Lukewich, Julia; Mathews, Maria; Hedden, Lindsay; Martin-Misener, Ruth; Poitras, Marie-Eve; Asghari, Shabnam; Swab, Michelle; and Ryan, Dana, "Nurses’ Contributions to Virtual Care Delivery in Primary Care: A Scoping Review" (2026). International Nursing Research Congress (INRC). 227.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2026/presentations_2026/227
Conference Name
37th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-08-26
Nurses’ Contributions to Virtual Care Delivery in Primary Care: A Scoping Review
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Background: Virtual care is increasingly used to improve access to primary care (1,2). However, the roles of primary care nurses (i.e., nurse practitioners [NPs], registered nurses [RNs], licensed practical nurses [LPNs]) in virtual care delivery are not clearly defined. A better understanding of these roles can improve their integration and optimization in virtual primary care delivery and the availability and quality of virtual primary care (3,4).
Objectives: The purpose of this scoping review was to identify and map the international literature on nurses’ roles in virtual care delivery in primary care.
Methods: Following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology (5), we searched academic databases for published literature and webpages for grey literature sources. We included studies that described the roles of nurses (NPs, RNs, LPNs) in providing virtual primary care. We excluded studies that focused on nurses’ use of digital technologies without nurse-patient interaction (6).
Results: After screening potential sources, we included 34 sources from countries such as United Kingdom, Canada, United States, Australia, and Sweden. Most were specific to RNs (n=12) or did not specify a regulatory designation (n=12). Primary care nurse roles in virtual care were mostly related to care coordination, chronic disease management, and triage and assessment using various modalities (e.g., telephone, video). Many factors influenced nurses’ roles in virtual care, such as patient/nurse experiences, training/support, access to resources/equipment, and ethical/privacy concerns.
Conclusions: Nurses are well-positioned to provide virtual care based on their diverse roles across primary care settings; however, their roles could be better optimized to improve primary care access and quality.
Description
Virtual care is increasingly used to improve access to primary care. However, the roles of nurses in virtual care delivery are not clearly defined. A better understanding of these roles can optimize nurses' roles and improve the availability and quality of virtual primary care. An international scoping review identified that nurses (across designations) are well-positioned to provide virtual care if we realize their scope of practice through a virtual lens across primary care settings.