3PCN (primary care nurses)

Primary care nurses (PC-N, i.e., nurse practitioners, registered nurses, and licensed practical nurses) play an important role in pandemic response and recovery. During the COVID-19 pandemic, primary care nurses were also re-deployed from their routine responsibilities to take on pandemic-related roles, particularly for initiatives to care for marginalized populations. However, the roles, perspectives, and contributions of primary care nurses remain largely under-studied.
Building on our existing studies on family physicians and pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic, the goal of the project is to inform the development of primary care pandemic plans by examining the roles and experiences of primary care nurses in four Canadian regions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and British Columbia.
The project consists of two-linked studies examining primary care pandemic responses across each of the four regions, using the following methods:

• Document analysis & qualitative interviews
• Developing logical models for primary care pandemic response plans

By conducting this study, the results will provide high-quality evidence to support primary care providers during future pandemic responses, particularly when caring for marginalized patient populations.