Effectiveness of educational interventions for nurses caring for patients with chronic kidney disease in improving nurse outcomes: A systematic review

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of educational interventions for nurses caring for patients with chronic kidney disease in improving knowledge, nurse-patient interaction, performance, skills competence and clinical decision-making.

Design: Systematic review.

Methods: Search of literature for randomised controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies and pre-experimental studies on chronic kidney disease-related educational interventions for nurses was conducted across 10 databases. Two reviewers independently screened articles, appraised studies and extracted data.

Data sources: PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, CINAHL Complete, ERIC, Social Science Database, ASSIA, Scopus, Web of Science and ProQuest Thesis and Dissertations Global databases were searched from date of inception to 21 December 2022.

Results: Three randomised controlled trials and eight pre-experimental studies were included in this review. Synthesis without meta-analysis was conducted due to high heterogeneity among studies. Interventions with teaching sessions, learning activities, self-study modules, discussion and a web-based training system were effective in improving nurses' knowledge, nurse-patient interaction, performance, skills competence and clinical decision-making. Patients experienced an improvement in nurse-patient interaction and no significant decrease in overall quality of life.

Conclusion: This review has shown the effectiveness of educational interventions for nurses caring for people with chronic kidney disease in improving outcomes for both nurses and patients, with sustained improvements up to a period of 1 year.

Implications for the profession and/or patient care: Study findings can guide the scope of future training for nurses caring for patients with chronic kidney disease.

Impact: Nurses often lack in-service training on how to improve care for patients with chronic kidney disease. This study found that training nurses on how to care for such patients can improve outcomes for nurses, which can translate to higher quality of patient care.

Reporting method: This paper adhered to the synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM) reporting guideline.

Keywords: chronic kidney failure; nurse education; nurses; systematic review; training.