Modelling Connections In Aged Care: Clinical Placements For Undergraduate Students In Aged Care-A Systematic Review

Background: This systematic review was conducted as the first part of the Modelling Connections in Aged Care project in order to identify available evidence related to the operation of undergraduate clinical placements in aged care. Method: Databases containing journal articles and reports published during the years 2000 – 2005 in the fields of nursing, general health sciences and service delivery, education, aged care, psychology, other social sciences, quality assurance, treatment guidelines, and systematic reviews were searched, followed by hand searching of selected journals and the reference lists of numerous reports and investigations. Four reviewers then collaborated to read and rate all retained items against set criteria Results: The total number of items selected for a full review was 173. We found that few items: · focus on the specific circumstances and needs of aged care nursing · reported studies/gathered data from across national/cultural boundaries · reported studies conducted in Australia · were multi-site studies. · involved careful comparative elements, even pre- and post – testing of the same group being rather rare · displayed sufficient ‘scientific rigour’ as that is conventionally understood in the systematic review literature, with only one item rated Level II and a total of only 13% of all the evidence being rated in the level II – Level IV band. Conclusions: The systematic review revealed that, taken overall, the literature on this sphere of education is abundant but often disappointing, and reliable evidence on the many difficult issues clinical education confronts is scarce. This highlights the importance of obtaining Level II evidence in the implementation of an evidence based/best practice model of clinical placements in aged care.