Systematic Review of Impact of Physical and Asynchronous Lectures on Information Retention in Nurses-Patients Safety: Evidence to Guide Practice

Abstract Background Patient safety is a fundamental component of healthcare, requiring strategies that minimize errors, reduce harm, and safeguard patients. Nursing students must be adequately trained in patient safety principles, with teaching methods playing a critical role in knowledge acquisition and long-term retention. Traditionally, physical lectures have been the main instructional approach; however, the increasing adoption of asynchronous teaching, particularly accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, has raised questions about its effectiveness. Understanding the impact of these teaching modes on information retention is essential to guide nursing education practices. Purpose This systematic review aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of physical and asynchronous lectures on information retention in nurse patient safety education. Methods A comprehensive search of peer-reviewed literature published between 2016 and 2025 was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, ProQuest, and Scopus. Studies were eligible if they involved nursing students or adult learners aged 18 years and above, and employed randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental, pre-post, or interventional designs. The methodological quality of included studies was appraised using the Cochrane ROB 2.0 tool for randomized trials and the ROBINS-I tool for non-randomized studies. Results A total of eleven studies involving 851 participants were included. Both traditional physical and asynchronous lecture methods showed positive effects on knowledge retention, competency, and self-efficacy in patient safety education. The most consistent and sustained improvements were observed in blended and interactive learning formats, such as flipped classrooms, simulation-based training, and technology-enhanced approaches. Despite these promising outcomes, the overall certainty of the evidence remains limited. None of the included studies achieved an overall low risk of bias; the majority were rated at moderate risk, while three were judged as critical, primarily due to confounding factors and issues in outcome measurement. Conclusion Physical and asynchronous teaching methods can both enhance knowledge retention in patient safety education, but blended and interactive approaches appear most effective. Given the methodological limitations of existing studies, further rigorously designed randomized trials with standardized outcome measures are needed to strengthen the evidence base, particularly in resource-constrained educational settings.