Background: The increasing complexity of trauma care and provider shortages have led to
the expanded role of nurse practitioners (NPs). While NPs are integrated into various
healthcare settings, their influence on length of stay (LOS) for adult trauma patients remains
an area of interest, particularly from a qualitative perspective.
Objective: This integrative review explores qualitative findings on how NPs can influence
LOS in adult trauma patients, identifying potential contributions such as care coordination,
efficiency, and provider workload.
Methods: A systematic search of CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar was conducted
to identify qualitative studies that examined the impact of NPs on LOS in adult trauma care.
Using an integrative review approach, data were analyzed to assess how NPs influence LOS.
Key themes were synthesized, LOS outcomes were reported, and the generalizability and
applicability of the integrative review findings were discussed.
Results: Findings suggest NPs contribute to reduced LOS by improving care coordination,
enhancing multidisciplinary communication, and facilitating discharge planning. However,
the extent of their impact remains unclear due to limited evidence.
Conclusion: While NPs are described as valuable members of trauma teams, their specific
impact on LOS in adult trauma patients is not well established in the qualitative literature.
Further research is needed to explore this relationship and determine whether NP-led
interventions can effectively reduce LOS.
Keywords: trauma service, trauma center, trauma centre, trauma unit, nurse practitioner,
advance practice nurse, trauma nurse practitioner, length of stay, LOS, impact on length of
stay, hospital length of stay.
