The Evolving Role of Nurses in Multidisciplinary Healthcare Teams

Abstract

Modern healthcare delivery is increasingly complex, driven by an aging population, a rising burden of chronic comorbidities, and a shift toward integrated care models. Within this landscape, multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) have become the gold standard for clinical practice. Historically relegated to subordinate or purely functional roles, nurses have experienced a significant paradigm shift in their professional identity and responsibilities within these teams. This systematic review aims to synthesize contemporary empirical literature regarding the evolving role of nurses within multidisciplinary healthcare teams, identifying key drivers of change, barriers to effective integration, and the subsequent impacts on patient and organizational outcomes. A systematic search was executed across major biomedical and sociological databases—including PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library—for peer-reviewed studies published between January 2016 and early 2026. Applying strict inclusion criteria, studies focusing on nursing roles within interprofessional or multidisciplinary cohorts were selected. Data extraction and quality assessment were performed using standardized appraisal tools.

A total of 24 studies met the final inclusion criteria. Thematic synthesis yielded four primary domains of role evolution: (1) the transition from task-oriented execution to autonomous clinical leadership and care coordination; (2) the expansion of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) as central pillars of MDTs; (3) the mitigation of interpersonal and structural barriers, such as historical medical hierarchies; and (4) quantifiable improvements in clinical outcomes, including reduced hospital length of stay, lower readmission rates, and enhanced patient satisfaction.

Nurses have transitioned from ancillary support staff to proactive, autonomous coordinators and leaders within multidisciplinary frameworks. Optimizing this evolving role requires systemic support, including targeted interprofessional education, institutional policy reform, and the elimination of archaic professional hierarchies to fully leverage nursing expertise for enhanced patient care.