Interventions to enhance the core competencies of clinical nursing preceptors: A systematic review.

UNLABELLED

Aim This systematic review aimed to identify intervention studies on core competencies of clinical nursing preceptors, evaluate their quality using quantitative indicators, and summarize the effectiveness of the intervention programs and limitations of included studies.

DESIGN

This review was reported in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) 2020 checklist.

DATA SOURCES

Between May 1, 2024 and May 30, 2024, we searched PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Medline, EMBASE and ProQuest (Health & Medical Collection) to get relevant literature published between January 2010 and May 2024. The main search concepts were core competence; preceptor; intervention; nurse. References in all eligible literature were also searched to prevent omissions.

REVIEW METHODS

Articles were screened and then evaluated by two researchers independently. The narrative table was used to summarize the characteristics of the included studies and the details of interventions. The modified Educational Interventions Critical Appraisal Tool was used to evaluate the quality of studies; the Kirkpatrick Model was used to assess the interventions. The content analysis method was used to synthesize data.

RESULTS

A total of 27 articles were included in this review. Six studies were rated as high quality. The remaining 21 studies were all rated as moderate quality and no studies were rated as low quality. Eight studies achieved the Kirkpatrick level 1, all the studies achieved the Kirkpatrick level 2, six studies achieved the Kirkpatrick level 3, Only one study achieved the Kirkpatrick level 4.

CONCLUSIONS

Interventions that covered key content themes, used face-to-face training method, and had shorter intervals may be more effective. Future studies could be improved by involving more representative samples, developing interventions based on theories, evaluating the long-term effects of the interventions. This review provided implications for developing more effective and sustainable educational programs for clinical nursing preceptors.