Integration of primary care education into undergraduate nursing programs: A scoping review

Aim

To examine literature related to primary care education in undergraduate nursing programs and to describe the attributes and extent of primary care education.

Background

Registered Nurses are essential within interdisciplinary models of primary care. However, it is unclear how and to what extent primary care is included in undergraduate nursing programs to prepare this workforce. To inform this practice area and support education, there is a need to better understand the attributes and extent of primary care education in undergraduate programs and identify gaps in evidence.

Design

Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review.

Methods

We aimed to identify published/unpublished literature evaluating the integration of primary care education into undergraduate nursing programs. Articles were eligible if study participants were faculty/administrators, preceptors, or students in undergraduate entry-to-practice nursing programs. We searched CINAHL Plus, MEDLINE, Embase, ERIC, APA PsycInfo, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses and grey literature sources.

Results

Fifty articles were included. Primary care education comprised two broad categories: specialized primary care curricular pathways and generalized integrated primary care education. Various didactic and practical activities were reported. Barriers/facilitators included resource availability; curriculum; and faculty and preceptor characteristics. Validated tools were used to measure outcomes of primary care education in 10 articles; however, few were primary care-specific.

Conclusions

The nature and extent of primary care nursing education varies across programs. The review highlights potential barriers/facilitators to be mitigated or leveraged to promote primary care teaching-learning. It summarizes tools available to evaluate outcomes and indicates a need for further research and methodological development.