Nursing students' experiences of professional patient care encounters in a hospital unit: a systematic review protocol.

Abstract

REVIEW QUESTION / OBJECTIVE The objective of this systematic review is to identify, appraise and synthesize the best available evidence on nursing students’ experiences of professional patient care encounters in a hospital unit. More specifically the research questions are: How do nursing students describe their experiences of professional patient care in a hospital unit? What kinds of experiences do nursing students have in professional patient care encounters? INCLUSION CRITERIA Types of participants This review will consider studies that include undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students. The range of participants includes all nursing students independently of the level of their clinical period. There will be no limitations regarding the age, gender or ethnicity of participants. Types of phenomena of interest This review will consider studies that investigate nursing students' learning experiences of professional patient care encounters where students engage with patients and provide nursing care within the basic principles of nursing care relating to the patients’ physiological and psychological needs. Studies that reflect nursing students’ comprehension of or attitudes towards nursing interventions in nurse-patient relations, e.g. bed bath, an admission interview, administration of medicine or a meeting with a terminally ill patient, will also be included. Types of contexts This review will consider studies that investigate the clinical education in any area within a hospital. Studies that consider acute intensive, chronic long-term, rehabilitation or palliative care hospital settings will be included.