Abstract

Introduction:
Respiratory conditions cost the NHS almost £10 billion annually, affect one in five people in the UK and are the third leading cause of death. However, nearly a third of individuals with respiratory conditions are not diagnosed until they require acute care. There is an urgent need to optimise proactive respiratory care in community settings. To do so, it is essential to better understand the role of the respiratory nurse specialist and how this can support the delivery of respiratory care in primary and community healthcare environments.

Methods:
A scoping review using systematic principles was conducted using electronic databases, including CINAHL, Medline and PsycInfo. After screening, 23 papers were selected for review.

Results:
The scoping review identified a significant gap in the evidence surrounding primary care-based, respiratory nurse specialist-led services for managing chronic respiratory diseases. This highlights a need for further research into how this role could be integrated into primary and community care to improve patient outcomes.

Conclusion:
Despite the potential benefits of establishing the respiratory nurse specialist role in primary care to support proactive and high-quality respiratory care, the scoping review revealed a lack of robust evidence to support this approach. The findings of this review will inform a PhD research project aimed at further exploring the role of the respiratory nurse specialist and optimising the management of chronic respiratory conditions in primary and community settings.