Effectiveness of Sexual Health Interventions for Nursing Students: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Background Nursing students' education in sexual health lacks uniformity in content and assessment skills. Although various educational interventions have been developed to bridge this gap, their effectiveness still needs to be determined. Objectives The current systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of sexual health educational interventions for nursing students regarding the educational content, duration, and evaluation of these interventions. Methods This systematic review follows the preferred reporting guidelines for systematic reviews. The initial search was performed in 2021 and replicated in 2023. A comprehensive search was conducted across four databases (PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, EMBASE), resulting in 610 sources. Following the screening process, thirty-two interventional studies were deemed eligible for inclusion. The quality assessment of these studies was conducted using The Effective Public Health Project tool, which was found appropriate for evaluating this type of interventional research. Results The studies had a global representation, although most were conducted in the USA. Only a few educational interventions involved nursing students. Three main categories emerged from the analysis of the educational interventions: one-time interventions, workshops, and semester courses. These categories differed in terms of their duration. Upon evaluating the educational intervention programs, it was found that the majority relied on participant self-reporting, while only a few included objective effectiveness tests. Conclusions The systematic review reveals inconsistent educational intervention programs regarding content, duration, and evaluation methods. This variability makes it difficult to assess their effectiveness in improving students' clinical skills. It emphasizes the importance of establishing standards in the field, particularly in incorporating sexual health content and developing sexual health assessment skills as integral parts of nursing students' professional training.