Evaluating the Impact of Self-Care Strategies Incorporated in Undergraduate and Graduate Nursing Curricula

Abstract

Background: Evidence demonstrates professional nurses’ vital need for self-care, underscoring the necessity to support the integration of self-care behaviors in nursing education. Purpose: The aim was to synthesize the impact of self-care strategies in nursing curricula to evaluate students’ experiential, evidence-based outcomes. Methods: A systematic review was conducted to examine interventional self-care studies in undergraduate and graduate nursing curricula published in the English language from 2018 to 2023. Searches were conducted between June 1, 2023, and July 12, 2023, in MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ProQuest, and PubMed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, yielding 20 peer-reviewed articles. Studies were evaluated for quality utilizing Medical Education Research Study Quality Instrument scoring; each author examined results independently to ensure rigor and mitigate bias. Results: Notable increases were observed regarding students’ recognition of self-care needs across a variety of curricular methodologies and self-care strategies. Conclusions: Evidence is mounting to substantiate curricular integration of self-care strategies in nursing education; further research of a robust nature is needed to refine curricular approaches.