Pedagogical strategies to improve emotional competencies in nursing students: A systematic review

Objectives: To reveal the effectiveness of didactic architectures and pedagogical strategies to be implemented in nursing curricula to develop and improve Emotional Competencies (EC) in undergraduate nursing students. Design: Systematic review of effectiveness conducted according to Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines. We followed the PRISMA statement to guarantee the transparency of the review and the GRADE to report the strength of evidence. Data sources: Seven databases were searched: MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, SCOPUS, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO and ERIC. Grey literature was also searched through the OpenGrey database. Review methods: Studies focusing on educational programmes and/or activities to develop EC in nursing curricula, published in English or Italian were included. Quality assessment of the studies was evaluated using JBI critical evaluation tools and the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MAAT). Following JBI guidelines, a narrative synthesis was performed. Results: A total of 19 studies from 8 countries were included. The population varied from first to fourth-year students in relation to the duration of the undergraduate nursing program across the various countries. Most of the students were females. The age of the participants ranged between18 and 56 years. The most common pedagogical strategies were simulation, role playing, and face-to-face lessons. In some cases, studies combined two or three pedagogical strategies in the same intervention. The most effective strategy was simulation, which improved EC, compassion, self-awareness, self-efficacy, empathy, critical thinking, clinical practice skills, and teamwork skills. Furthermore, the combination of lessons, simulation, and literature exploration effectively developed communication skills, and improved students' satisfaction. Conclusions: Investing in simulation, role-playing activities, and lessons regarding the importance of EI, empathy and compassion, and the role of an emotionally competent nurse leads to improved nursing care and wellbeing.