Easing Healthcare Strain by Expanding the Role of Nurse Practitioners

Research out of McGill University supports expanding the role of nurse practitioners to help alleviate global and Canadian healthcare staff shortages.

A McGill-led study, cited in the upcoming WHO State of the World’s Nursing 2025 report, shows that advanced practice nurses provide care that matches or exceeds standard care across 29 measures. The findings support expanding their role to help alleviate global and Canadian healthcare staff shortages.

In Quebec, nurse practitioners have reduced ER visits and improved outcomes in home and palliative care, but broader use remains limited due to low awareness among health leaders.

“We looked at 29 different measures of safety, quality and effectiveness, and found consistent evidence that care patients received from advanced practice nurses was just as good, or even better than standard care."

— Dr. Kelley Kilpatrick, Associate Professor, Ingram School of Nursing, McGill University

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