A team of researchers from Spain conducted the study and published their findings in the European Journal of Oncology Nursing.
Investigators sought to map and synthesize readily available educational interventions, including their characteristics, reported outcomes, feasibility, and measurement methods, as person-centered care is a crucial component of practice among oncology nurses and other HCPs in the field.
A scoping review was performed in accordance with Joanna Briggs Institute methodological framework and PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines.
Data to inform the scoping review, which included “primary literature published in English or Spanish between 2014 and 2025” was collected from a variety of medical sources, such as PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, Bielefeld Academic Search Engine, Open Access Theses and Dissertations, CINAHL, PsycINFO, TRIP, and ProQuest.
Investigators explained that the primary research that was analyzed reported on “educational interventions targeting healthcare professionals in oncology settings and focusing on interpersonal skills.”
While the thematic synthesis evaluated intervention characteristics and reported outcomes, investigators also conducted a critical appraisal.
A total of 1,511 sources were searched for eligible literature, and investigators ultimately included “29 reports representing 25 studies” in the scoping review. Results of the scoping review uncovered that 90% of reports “emphasized the importance of interpersonal skills for person-centred practice,” but investigators highlighted that only one report “was explicitly grounded in a conceptual framework.”
Educational interventions that were analyzed in the eligible literature commonly used “simulation and role play” to address concepts such as “emotional intelligence (21%), communication (55%) and negotiation (24%).”
Furthermore, the findings showed that reported outcomes “were predominantly evaluated at Kirkpatrick’s learning level and demonstrated positive effects on skill acquisition and professional confidence.”
Investigators also observed that there were few assessments analyzing “long-term behavioural change and patient-level outcomes.”
Despite the importance of interpersonal skills for oncology nursing and HCP practice, which investigators described as “central to therapeutic relationships in oncology care,” the scoping review found a lack of “theoretical grounding” in the existing literature on educational interventions to enhance interpersonal skills.
Investigators offered recommendations “to address these limitations” and improve clinical oncology practice overall, which included “a stepped pedagogical framework integrating emotional intelligence, communication and negotiation within person-centred practice.”