Exploring the development of advanced practitioner roles in healthcare professions: a scoping review

Advanced practice roles continue to evolve across healthcare professions in response to changing patient needs, workforce pressures, and service transformation. This scoping review maps existing literature on the development, implementation, and regulation of advanced practice roles to identify transferable insights that may support the development of emerging
advanced roles in other professional contexts, such as veterinary nursing. The review followed JBI methodology and included a structured search of five electronic databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase) in April 2025. Twenty-five articles met the inclusion criteria, with most focused on advanced practice nursing, alongside examples from physiotherapy, radiotherapy, and wider allied health. Across the literature, the most
commonly referenced title was ‘Advanced Practice Nurse’. Four overarching themes were identified: (1) the importance of clear and consistent role definition; (2) the need for education and training that aligns with the intended scope of practice; (3) the role of regulation, governance, and professional credibility in supporting autonomy; and (4) the contribution of advanced practitioners to improved patient outcomes and service efficiency.
The review demonstrates that successful implementation of advanced roles depends on coherent professional identity, robust competency frameworks, and supportive organisational and regulatory environments. These insights offer guidance for healthcare professions currently developing or refining advanced roles and are particularly relevant where roles are newly emerging or undergoing formalisation. No patients or members of the public were involved in this study.