Best practices for teaching pharmacology to undergraduate nursing students: A systematic review of the literature

Objective: In this systematic review we describe best practices for teaching pharmacology to undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students based on the available evidence. Numerous teaching strategies employed in undergraduate pharmacology courses for nursing students have been summarized and compared for their impact on pharmacology knowledge retention, application of pharmacology theory to practice, and student satisfaction. Future directions for research are discussed. Design: The review was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Data Sources: The Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Academic Search Complete, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and Education Source and Health Reference Centre Academic were searched using key search terms and phrases. Twenty studies, conducted between 2001 and 2017, met the inclusion criteria. Method: Quality assessment was made in accordance with two appraisal tools: Kirkpatrick's framework and the Medical Education Research Quality Instrument (MERSQI) for quantitative studies. Results: Online, simulation, and integrated methods of teaching pharmacology were most beneficial for pharmacology knowledge acquisition and student satisfaction. Traditional lecture, problem-based learning, and a flipped classroom were least effective strategies for teaching pharmacology to undergraduate students. Conclusions: This systematic review will contribute to the body of knowledge used by nurse educators who teach in undergraduate nursing programs, may be particularly useful for undergraduate nursing program directors/administrators who are considering undergoing curricular changes, and may be a conduit for future researchers who wish to design studies aimed at improving teaching and learning within undergraduate nursing education.