The Fundamentals of Care Framework in nursing education: A scoping review protocol

Objective: This scoping review aims to identify and map the use of the Fundamentals of Care Framework in nursing education to provide insights into curriculum development that can benefit educators, health care professionals, and policy makers in educational contexts. 

Introduction: The Fundamentals of Care Framework offers a comprehensive approach for conceptualizing and delivering high-quality, person-centered fundamental care. Use of the framework in education is shown to enhance critical thinking, establish a shared language for nursing care, and increase understanding of person-centered care. 

Inclusion criteria: This scoping review will consider sources such as discussion papers, qualitative and quantitative primary research studies, and review articles that report on activities relating to use of the Fundamentals of Care Framework in nursing education. The focus will be on nursing education internationally, including but not limited to, theoretical learning and clinical learning contexts that provide training for nursing students. 

Methods: The proposed review will use the 3-step search strategy recommended in the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. The databases, CINAHL Ultimate, Embase, PubMed, and PsycINFO will be searched, with no limitations on language or year. Only sources accessible through scientific databases will be considered for inclusion. The reference lists of included sources will be searched for additional sources. Three independent reviewers will screen titles, abstracts, and full texts of retrieved sources and extract relevant data. Data will be presented in a descriptive manner, supported by tables and charts, and accompanied by a narrative summary.