Structural competency curriculum in health sciences education: a scoping review.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Public Health Training
• Health Equity Pedagogy

Background:

• Structural competency training equips health professionals to address social determinants of health.
• The framework, introduced in 2014, aims to understand broader structures influencing health inequities.
• Global health science programs are increasingly incorporating structural competency into curricula.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the implementation and evaluation of the structural competency framework in health science programs.
• To identify reported outcomes of structural competency training in undergraduate and graduate curricula.

Main Methods:

• A scoping review was conducted, including papers on implementation, evaluation, and outcomes of structural competency training.
• Searched multiple databases (MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, etc.) and gray literature for relevant studies.
• Included papers published in English, with no date restrictions, focusing on health science students and trainees.

Main Results:

• Thirty-four papers were included, detailing implementation (33 papers), evaluation (30 papers), and outcomes (30 papers).
• Varied pedagogical approaches were used for implementation, focusing on knowledge, skills, attitudes, and perceptions.
• Evaluations employed qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches.

Conclusions:

• Structural competency training has been successfully implemented across medical, pharmacy, nursing, social work, and pre-health programs.
• Diverse teaching methods, including neighborhood exploration and photovoice, can be adapted for various educational contexts.
• Flexible training delivery, from short intervals to full curricula integration, enhances students' skills.