The charge nurse's contribution to the integration of care and services through professional mechanisms.

Background: The current state of the healthcare system suggests a need for greater integration of care and services (ICS), as mandated by recent healthcare reforms. According to Longpré (2017), ICS can be strengthened by using professional mechanisms derived from clinical practice and direct care provided by professionals. As charge nurses (CN) hold a central clinical-administrative management position, it is important to ask whether five skills inherent in their role (leadership, interpersonal communication, clinical-administrative caring, problem-solving and knowledge of the work environment (Plourde, 2012)) contribute to the development of professional mechanisms that reinforce the ICS. To the best of our knowledge, however, there is little that has been published on whether, and how, the CN can contribute to the development of the professional mechanisms underlying the ICS. Objective: Demonstrate the extent to which CN skills contribute to the development of professional mechanisms that underlie the integration of care and services. Method: A scoping review based on the Joanna Briggs Institute (2020) framework was used. CINAHL, MEDLINE, Cairn and grey literature databases were queried. Literature in French and English, published between 2000 and 2022, was retained. Articles discussing at least one of the five CN skills were selected. Selected articles were then analyzed following the "Levers and obstacles to the development of ICS" (LO-DISS) model (Longpré, 2017), which defines the themes, sub-themes and facilitators of ICS. Results: Of the 2,672 records retrieved, 23 were retained after the removal of duplicates and screening using predefined selection criteria. Slightly more than half (n=13/23) of the articles demonstrated links between the CN's role, their skills and professional mechanisms that promote the ICS. Further analyses revealed that all five CN skills were highly relevant to the development of three themes linked to professional mechanisms underlying the ICS, namely: roles and responsibilities, team competence and vision of customer care. CN skills were reflected in seven of the model's nine sub-themes and in 17 of the 39 facilitators. Conclusion: This study reinforces the relevance and vital role of the CN in the ICS, particularly in relation to the support of professional mechanisms underlying this integration. It is therefore essential that CNs be adequately trained when they take up their position to acquire the maximum skillset required for their role, and to be able to contribute optimally to the integration of care and services.