Engaging medical students and residents in nephrology education: an updated scoping review

Abstract

Background There is global recognition that interest in nephrology among pediatric and adult trainees is waning, while the burden of kidney disease continues to wax. There is a growing need to engage trainees in nephrology education. The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature on nephrology education for medical students and residents published in the last six years, collate the findings, and extract major themes in order to better define the gaps in this field. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted on four major academic search engines including MEDLINE (OvidSP), ERIC, EMBASE and Web of Science until October 22, 2020, retrieving a total of 2,694 studies. Forty studies published after September 2014 met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. These studies were analyzed based on study focus, type of study design, and outcomes. ResultsThe studies fell into three main areas of focus: (a) factors that influence interest in nephrology careers (b) current gaps in nephrology knowledge and (c) innovative educational strategies. Barriers to engaging learners in nephrology include a lack of exposure, lack of mentorship, and perceived complexity of nephrology. Baseline awareness is deficient in the management of chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury. Applying active learning strategies may reduce the perceived barriers to understanding nephrology. ConclusionThe importance of engaging the future nephrology workforce is well-recognized. Nephrologist educators should focus their efforts in studying curriculum interventions and their impact not only on learner satisfaction, but also future behavior, career choices, and patient outcomes.

Processo de ensino-aprendizagem em nefrologia: uma revisão integrativa

“…Prasad et al 35 constataram que a importância do engajamento da futura força de trabalho nefrológica é bem reconhecida e que os professores de nefrologia devem concentrar seus esforços em intervenções no currículo, e focar o comportamento futuro, escolhas de carreira e desfechos clínicos. O impacto de um currículo de nefrologia que envolvia clínicas de subespecialidades, palestras didáticas e fóruns on-line fez com que a maioria dos estudantes de Medicina se sentisse mais à vontade com a nefrologia clínica.…”