Evidence-based practices in mentoring student nurses in clinical placement : a systematic review and meta-analysis
/ Mark Job G. Bascos
- Baguio City, Benguet : Saint Louis University ,2018
- x, 65 leaves ; 27 x 22cm.
Dissertation (Doctor of Philosophy in Nursing) -- Saint Louis University, January 2018.
Mentoring is an important variable in the learning process of student nurses during clinical placement. Mentoring practices have been reported across the international literature to be essential in the personal and professional development of students. Despite the benefits, the gap created by the variations and limited studies in mentoring in clinical placement may create confusion in terms of selecting and implementing effective mentoring practices. To identify effective mentoring practices in the clinical placement of student nurses to be integrated in developing a mentoring program. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. Included studies identified mentoring practices involving clinical instructors, nurse educators, staff nurses, mentors, or peer students and examined the effectiveness of improving the knowledge, skills, and learning outcomes of student nurses in the clinical area. Study designs included randomized controlled trials and quasi-experimental studies. The search included electronic databases and manual searching of published and unpublished literature. Major databases include PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Joanna Briggs Institute Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Medline. Reference lists of retrieved articles were reviewed to identify any further studies, including grey literature databases. The search was restricted to articles available in the English language. Two reviewers independently assessed for risk of bias and performed data extraction. The data were summarized and statistically analyzed using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis version 3.0 software. Of the 17,946 records screened, six studies met the inclusion criteria Mentoring practices that have shown positive outcomes in the clinical placement of student nurses involve orientation, goal setting, supervision, psychosocial support, self-reflection, and feedback. The studies reported the positive outcomes of mentoring in the knowledge, skills, self-concept, stress, anxiety, confidence, satisfaction, support, and in a welcoming environment. Meta-analyses revealed a statistically significant effect of mentoring practices in the clinical placement of students (Standardized Mean Difference [SMD] 0.357, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 0.038, 0.677,=69.26%, p = 0.028). A subgroup analysis resulted to a statistically significant effect of mentoring by nurses and peers in the improvement of knowledge and skills of student nurses (SMD =0.426, 95% CI, 0.202, 0.650, P = 0%, p=0.000). This meta-analysis suggests that student nurses can benefit from mentoring in their clinical placement particularly in improving knowledge and skills. The findings further suggest that mentoring may be able to influence an interaction of a conducive clinical learning environment and positive learning outcomes. This study recommends the integration of the results in the development of a student mentoring program. Future research on the impact of mentors' characteristics and other mentoring practices in non- clinical settings is also recommended to enhance the development of mentoring programs.