Qualified nurses' knowledge of the biosciences: Systematic scoping review

To appraise and synthesise empirical studies on the use of bioscience knowledge in clinical work by qualified nurses. It is assumed that post-registration courses should teach biosciences so that it can be used by qualified nurses in clinical practice. This is about understanding what knowledge is being used to direct patient care, to ensure that the right decisions are being made for the right reasons.

Systematic scoping review of mixed study designs.

Medline, CINAHL, Embase, databases and Google Scholar were searched, 1980 - September 2023, followed by hand searches, reference list check of retrieved papers and personal contacts.

Potentially eligible papers were scrutinised by 2 reviewers who also completed data extraction, with disagreements resolved through discussion. Quality assessment used CASP checklists appropriate to each study design. Thematic synthesis applied an interpretative approach to extracting data. No meta-analysis was possible.

Fifteen papers were included; eleven with quantitative data and seven with qualitative data. Qualified nurses in general did not feel prepared for their role due to lack of knowledge of the biosciences. There were mixed views on the usefulness of bioscience knowledge for patient care.

The relationship between bioscience knowledge and clinical practice remains a dichotomy. Whilst there continues to be strong support for applying biosciences to patient care, there is a dearth of convincing evidence to support the usefulness of this knowledge in clinical decision-making.