Nurse led models of care for outpatient substance use disorder treatment: A scoping review

Abstract Aim To map key characteristics and describe nurse led models of care for the treatment of persons with substance use disorders (SUDs) in the outpatient setting. Design A scoping review. Methods Conducted in accordance with the JBI methodology. The PRISMA‐ScR checklist was used. Data Sources Pubmed, CINAHL Complete (EBSCOhost), Cochrane Library, APA PsycNet and Scopus were searched from 1999 to May 2022 and updated on 28 November 2023. A handsearch and a grey literature search was conducted. Results Title and abstract screening was performed on 774 articles resulting in 88 articles for full text screening. Full text screening yielded 13 articles that met inclusion criteria. Conclusion Existing nurse‐led models of care for SUDS are scarce and limited in scope, with the majority focused on treating opioid use disorder. Additional research is needed to develop, test, and implement efficacious nurse‐led models of care for the treatment and management of SUDs. Implications to Clinical Practice Nurse led models of care have demonstrated their efficacy and quality in the management of other chronic diseases. As we move forward with innovative solutions for individuals with addiction, nurse led models of care can be a mechanism to deliver high quality, evidence‐based care for SUDs. Impact SUDs are chronic diseases that impact individuals, families, and communities. SUDs require a biopsychosocial approach to treatment. Globally, nurses are well positioned to provide high quality care to mitigate the impact of SUDs. This scoping review mapped the extant literature on nurse led models of care for substance use disorder treatment in the outpatient setting finding that additional research is needed to develop, test and implement evidence‐based interventions to care for individuals, families, and communities experiencing SUDs. Reporting Method PRISMA checklist for scoping reviews. No patient or public contribution were part of this study. Protocol Registration Open Science Framework accessible at: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/NSW7V .