Genomic knowledge, confidence, and attitudes among practicing nurses: A systematic review

To examine the knowledge, confidence and attitudes of practicing nurses regarding genomics.

Genomics is transforming healthcare, yet its translation into nursing care remains limited. While nurses recognize the importance of genomics, the current state of their genomic knowledge, confidence and attitudes has not been systematically synthesized.

Systematic review.

PubMed, CINAHL Ultimate, Scopus and Embase were searched from 2011 to 2026 for studies assessing knowledge, confidence and/or attitudes toward genomics among practicing nurses. The review adhered to the PRISMA guideline and was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251067223).

36 studies involving 27,835 nurses from 12 countries were included. Across 27 studies assessing objective knowledge, mean percentage correct scores ranged from 20.0% to 82.3%, with 13 studies below 60% and none above 90%. Among 12 studies assessing perceived knowledge, the proportion of nurses rating their knowledge as poor or fair ranged from 18.7% to 81.8%, with nine studies at 50% or above. Across 15 studies reporting confidence, the proportion self-rating as confident ranged from 7.3% to 70.0%, with no study exceeding 70%. In contrast, attitudes were consistently positive: in 11 studies, 67-97.5% recognized genomics as important in clinical practice, with eight studies above 80%; and across 19 studies, 53-98.5% intended to learn more. Four quasi-experimental studies suggest targeted education may improve short-term knowledge and self-reported confidence, though the durability and clinical translation of these gains remain uncertain.

The included studies suggest that practicing nurses demonstrate high motivation but variable genomic knowledge and generally low confidence.

This review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD420251067223).