{"title":"Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges of Healthcare Innovation in UK Higher Education: A Narrative Review.","authors":"Renske Emicke, Ashley Shepherd, Dylan Powell","doi":"10.3390/nursrep15050171","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Background</b>: The healthcare sector is under increasing pressure due to an ageing population, rising multimorbidity, and a projected global workforce shortage of 10 million by 2030. It is becoming increasingly apparent that addressing these challenges requires more than simply increasing workforce numbers-it necessitates a shift towards innovative practices in healthcare education. Higher education (HE) plays a crucial role in preparing future healthcare professionals, yet embedding innovation within HE presents challenges such as resistance to change, resource limitations, and difficulties in interdisciplinary collaboration. This review explores the barriers and opportunities associated with fostering innovation in HE health programmes. <b>Methods</b>: This narrative review explored the recent literature on innovation in healthcare HE, examining national policies, institutional strategies, and emerging technological advancements. It describes the impact of digital learning tools, simulation-based education, artificial intelligence (AI), and interprofessional education (IPE) on student learning outcomes and workforce preparedness. <b>Results</b>: Findings suggest that while digitalisation and AI-driven innovations offer opportunities to enhance HE health programmes, their effectiveness is dependent on appropriate pedagogical integration and resource. Challenges include upskilling workforce to new more modern methods, ensuring equitable access to digital resources, and maintaining a balance between technological innovation and traditional face-to-face learning. <b>Conclusions</b>: To embed innovation effectively within healthcare HE, institutions may need to prioritise interdisciplinary collaboration, entrepreneurial thinking, and sustainable funding models. While technology is key to modernising education, it should be implemented alongside evidence-based pedagogical strategies to ensure meaningful learning outcomes and long-term workforce preparedness.</p>","PeriodicalId":40753,"journal":{"name":"Nursing Reports","volume":"15 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12113935/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nursing Reports","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep15050171","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NURSING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: The healthcare sector is under increasing pressure due to an ageing population, rising multimorbidity, and a projected global workforce shortage of 10 million by 2030. It is becoming increasingly apparent that addressing these challenges requires more than simply increasing workforce numbers-it necessitates a shift towards innovative practices in healthcare education. Higher education (HE) plays a crucial role in preparing future healthcare professionals, yet embedding innovation within HE presents challenges such as resistance to change, resource limitations, and difficulties in interdisciplinary collaboration. This review explores the barriers and opportunities associated with fostering innovation in HE health programmes. Methods: This narrative review explored the recent literature on innovation in healthcare HE, examining national policies, institutional strategies, and emerging technological advancements. It describes the impact of digital learning tools, simulation-based education, artificial intelligence (AI), and interprofessional education (IPE) on student learning outcomes and workforce preparedness. Results: Findings suggest that while digitalisation and AI-driven innovations offer opportunities to enhance HE health programmes, their effectiveness is dependent on appropriate pedagogical integration and resource. Challenges include upskilling workforce to new more modern methods, ensuring equitable access to digital resources, and maintaining a balance between technological innovation and traditional face-to-face learning. Conclusions: To embed innovation effectively within healthcare HE, institutions may need to prioritise interdisciplinary collaboration, entrepreneurial thinking, and sustainable funding models. While technology is key to modernising education, it should be implemented alongside evidence-based pedagogical strategies to ensure meaningful learning outcomes and long-term workforce preparedness.
期刊介绍：
Nursing Reports is an open access, peer-reviewed, online-only journal that aims to influence the art and science of nursing by making rigorously conducted research accessible and understood to the full spectrum of practicing nurses, academics, educators and interested members of the public. The journal represents an exhilarating opportunity to make a unique and significant contribution to nursing and the wider community by addressing topics, theories and issues that concern the whole field of Nursing Science, including research, practice, policy and education. The primary intent of the journal is to present scientifically sound and influential empirical and theoretical studies, critical reviews and open debates to the global community of nurses. Short reports, opinions and insight into the plight of nurses the world-over will provide a voice for those of all cultures, governments and perspectives. The emphasis of Nursing Reports will be on ensuring that the highest quality of evidence and contribution is made available to the greatest number of nurses. Nursing Reports aims to make original, evidence-based, peer-reviewed research available to the global community of nurses and to interested members of the public. In addition, reviews of the literature, open debates on professional issues and short reports from around the world are invited to contribute to our vibrant and dynamic journal. All published work will adhere to the most stringent ethical standards and journalistic principles of fairness, worth and credibility. Our journal publishes Editorials, Original Articles, Review articles, Critical Debates, Short Reports from Around the Globe and Letters to the Editor.
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