Leadership Roles, Care Models, and Effectiveness of Advanced Practice Nurse–Led Multidisciplinary Teams: A Scoping Review

Aim

This review aimed to delineate the leadership roles, care models, and effectiveness of advanced practice nurse (APN)-led multidisciplinary teams in healthcare settings.

Background

Emerging international evidence suggests leadership constitutes a core characteristic of APN roles. Despite expanding involvement of advanced practice nurses in leading advanced and sustainable care within multidisciplinary teams, the current understanding of such care models is limited.

Methods

A scoping review was performed and reported using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist.

Results

Thirty-three studies were included. Five leadership roles of advanced practice nurses in multidisciplinary teams were identified: individual contributor, decision-maker, facilitator, trainer, and manager. The analysis revealed three care models within APN–led teams: case management, group intervention, and transitional care. These models demonstrated similar or better patient and organizational outcomes compared with physician-led models. Both caregivers and healthcare providers consistently recognized and valued advanced practice nurses’ leadership.

Conclusion

The findings highlight the fluidity of advanced practice nurses’ leadership roles in addressing complex patient needs. Future research should investigate contextual determinants shaping APN-led multidisciplinary teams, with particular emphasis on role transition processes.

Implications for nursing and policy

The findings suggest that policymakers should establish standardized APN titles, clearly defined scopes of practice, and accountability frameworks in alignment with international standards. Healthcare organizations should cultivate enabling environments through structural support, policy alignment, and organizational culture transformation.