Self-management support training for undergraduate and graduate entry healthcare professional students: an integrative review

Abstract

Objectives Current research explores the patient and healthcare professional role in self-management; however, it is unclear what healthcare students are taught about supporting self-management as part of their pre-registration training. As the next generation of healthcare professionals, what and how students are taught is of importance if they are to competently and effectively implement supporting self-management in their future practice. The purpose of this review was to identify the self-management support strategies taught to undergraduate and graduate entry healthcare students. Methods A systematically undertaken integrative review of literature sourced from four health databases. Included studies described the education provided to undergraduate and graduate entry healthcare students about self-management support; studies were critically appraised using Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools. Data were extracted and tabulated to i) provide an overall summary of included studies, and ii) identify educational method and type of learning, and strategies taught to students based on Lorig and Holman’s list of core patient self-management skills. Results Twelve of 1,209 studies were included. A variety of methods and approaches to learning were used. Eight taught strategies were identified as informational (six strategies) or emotional (two strategies). Discussion While informational strategies are fundamental, and, as the review highlights, effective for a foundational knowledge in supporting self-management; teaching such informational strategies in isolation could set students up to act as the “expert” in any exchange with patients. More emphasis on teaching of emotional strategies in undergraduate and graduate curricula could more effectively enable students to better support patient self-management into the future.