Development of Leadership Skills in Medical Education: Protocol for a Scoping Review (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Leadership is recognized as an essential competency in health care and science, being central for professionals to face health challenges. Few physicians feel prepared to serve as leaders in the health care environment, and few receive training in the leadership skills needed to be successful. Teaching leadership skills together with extensive longitudinal clinical education in an authentic and nurturing environment can effectively develop students for leadership in medicine. Studies on the subject still do not show the best way to implement it in medical education, and an updated review is necessary. A scoping review on leadership in the medical curriculum should improve and organize what is already available in the literature. The aim of this study is to identify the types of available evidence on the teaching of leadership skills in undergraduate courses in the health area, analyze them, determine knowledge gaps, and disseminate the research OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to identify the types of available evidence on the teaching of leadership skills in undergraduate courses in the health area, analyze them, determine knowledge gaps, and disseminate the research results. METHODS This is a scoping review that will consider studies on leadership skills in medical and health undergraduate courses. Primary studies published in English, Spanish, and Portuguese since 2019 will also be considered. The search will be performed in six databases, and reference lists will be searched for additional studies. Duplicates will be removed, and two independent reviewers will examine the titles, abstracts, and full texts of the selected studies. Data extraction will be performed using a tool developed by the researchers. This scoping review protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/yexkb). RESULTS This is a scoping review that will consider studies on leadership skills in medical and health undergraduate courses. Primary studies published in English, Spanish, and Portuguese since 2019 will also be considered. The search will be performed in six databases, and reference lists will be searched for additional studies. Duplicates will be removed, and two independent reviewers will examine the titles, abstracts, and full texts of the selected studies. Data extraction will be performed using a tool developed by the researchers. This scoping review protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/yexkb). The preliminary result of the scoping review showed an extensive range of articles, highlighting articles found in Science Direct (404), Web of Science (183), DOAJ (190), and other databases. This scoping review on leadership in the medical curriculum can significantly contribute to the literature by organizing and synthesizing the available evidence on teaching leadership skills in undergraduate courses in the health area. Furthermore, by analyzing evidence and identifying knowledge gaps, the study can provide valuable insights to develop more efficient and comprehensive medical education programs, thus preparing students to take on leadership roles in the complex environment of health care. CONCLUSIONS This scoping review on leadership in the medical curriculum can significantly contribute to the literature by organizing and synthesizing the available evidence on teaching leadership skills in undergraduate courses in the health area. Furthermore, by analyzing evidence and identifying knowledge gaps, the study can provide valuable insights to develop more efficient and comprehensive medical education programs, thus preparing students to take on leadership roles in the complex environment of health care.