Pedagogical practices in nursing education to develop competencies for preparing family caregivers: scoping review protocol

Abstract

Introduction: Increased life expectancy and the growing prevalence of chronic conditions reinforce the central role of the family caregiver in healthcare. Nursing education must include pedagogical strategies that equip students to support family caregivers. Despite widespread recognition of its importance, there remains a gap in the evidence regarding how this preparation has been operationalized in nursing education.
Objective: To map and describe the pedagogical practices used in undergraduate and postgraduate nursing education that aim to prepare students to educate and support family caregivers.
Methodology: The scoping review will be conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and reported following the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. A comprehensive three-step search strategy will be used. An initial limited search of MEDLINE and CINAHL has already been conducted to identify relevant keywords and index terms. The refined search strategy will then be adapted for all selected databases, including MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, SciELO, the Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence-Based Practice Database, and Cochrane, followed by a search of grey literature sources and manual screening of the reference lists of included studies. Studies that describe pedagogical practices implemented in undergraduate and postgraduate academic nursing education aimed at preparing students to support family caregivers will be included. A structured data extraction tool will be developed and piloted by two independent reviewers to ensure consistency during the screening and charting process. Data will be synthesized using descriptive numerical summaries and qualitative content analysis. Findings will be presented narratively and displayed through charts and tables mapping pedagogical practices, their characteristics, and associated student competency outcomes.
Conclusion: This scoping review will identify the breadth, depth, and scope of the literature on pedagogical practices implemented in nursing education to develop students’ competencies for preparing and supporting family caregivers. It will map the characteristics, teaching strategies, educational contexts, and competency outcomes associated with these practices, providing a comprehensive overview of how caregiver-related content is integrated into undergraduate and postgraduate nursing curricula. The findings will inform future curricular development, support pedagogical innovation, and guide a broader research agenda focused on strengthening the preparation of nursing students to