Adult student nurses’ preparedness to provide gastrointestinal care upon qualification: scoping the literature

Aim: To explore the preparedness of adult student nurses in relation to providing gastrointestinal care once qualified. Background: With an estimated 6.5 million adults in the UK experiencing with some form of bowel problem (NHS England, 2019), bowel care is a fundamental area of nursing that is frequently overlooked. The pre-registration nursing curriculum ( NMC, 2018 ) within the UK is well-placed to equip students to become confident and proficient upon qualification, ensuring the provision and delivery of safe, compassionate, person-centred care. There is limited evidence specific to GI care; preparedness is largely inferred from broader studies. Method: With identified keywords, a structured database search took place resulting in the selection of 12 primary research papers deemed relevant to this review. Findings: A thematic analysis led to the identification of 5 themes; teaching methods, exposure to practice, students’ sense of preparedness, gaps in education practice and coping strategies. Conclusion: This literature highlights the preparedness of student nurses, contributing valuable insights by incorporating their perspective on pre-registration education for GI care. However, no direct evidence on nurses’ GI preparedness was found. Further research is needed to explore how GI education is integrated into pre-registration programmes and its impact on students’ ability to apply theory to practice.