The role and impact of the specialist trauma nurse: an integrative review.

To identify the scope, context, and impact on patient and health service outcomes of the specialist trauma nurse. Integrative review with data sourced from CINAHL, OvidSP, Scopus, and hand searching of references. Abstracts were screened for inclusion/exclusion criteria with 56 articles appraised for quality, analyzed, and synthesized into 3 main categories. This international review shows a widely varied scope and context of practice with positive impacts on patient and health service outcomes. Further research and exploration are recommended to develop a consistent model of care and further ascertain the benefits of the specialist trauma nurse role.