All talk, little action: A scoping review mapping lifelong learning education strategies in postgraduate medical...

Lifelong learning (LLL) is a core competency in postgraduate medical education (PGME), yet little is known about how registrar programmes teach it. Although LLL is prominent in policy and discourse, knowledge of best-practice educational strategies during registrar training remains limited.

This study aimed to map and synthesise the empirical research of strategies designed to foster LLL in registrar training.

The study was carried out at postgraduate orthopaedic training institutions in South Africa.

A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping review (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines to identify educational strategies that promote LLL in PGME. Searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were performed from database inception to November 2025 using medical subject headings (MeSH) terms including 'lifelong learning' and 'registrar', supplemented by reference screening. Bibliographic data were tabulated, and strategies synthesised into three overarching categories.

Of the 492 records screened, eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Strategies clustered into three groups: (1) goal-setting; (2) reflection, self-assessment, and feedback; and (3) evidence-based medicine (EBM) training. The vehicles for delivering these strategies included individualised learning plans, portfolios, goal-setting requirements, and EBM training courses.

The review identified eight studies describing strategies to foster LLL in registrar training, concentrated in North America, and non-surgical disciplines. The paucity and heterogeneity of published evidence highlight the need for intentional incorporation and evaluation of the impact of LLL in postgraduate curricula across diverse contexts.

This review provides the first mapped synthesis of explicit LLL educational strategies in PGME, identifying gaps and informing future curriculum design.