EFFECT OF NURSE-LED PATIENT HEALTH EDUCATION ON NURSING CARE OUTCOMES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR NIGERIA

ABSTRACT Patient health education conducted by nurses seeks to foster patients' understanding of the health care process, and to improve patients' adherence to treatment, self-management skills, and satisfaction with care provided. Yet, the scope and consistency of the impact of patient education conducted by nurses on patient care outcomes seems to vary across clinical settings. To systematically evaluate the available literature with the goal of establishing the effectiveness of patient education delivered by nurses and the subsequent impact on the outcomes of nursing care, focusing on patient knowledge, adherence/self-management, satisfaction, and specific clinical outcomes. Using the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, a systematic review of the literature was carried out. A search was conducted across the main bibliographic databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, and citation tracking was performed. Studies that were eligible for inclusion were randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and systematic reviews that examined the education of patients structured by nurses and described quantifiable outcomes pertaining to nursing care. A two-step screening process along with a predesigned data extraction process was utilized. Risk of bias was calculated among the studies using the appropriate tools (RoB 2, ROBINS-I, and AMSTAR 2). A narrative synthesis was prepared due to the differences noted among the various studies concerning outcomes and the interventions employed. Twelve studies were included. Education provided by nurses improved knowledge and self-management/adherence of patients, especially in the context of chronic diseases, and this was reported in the majority of the studies. A number of studies reported in patient satisfaction and some clinical outcomes, although a number of studies reported that the clinical outcomes were not statistically significant. Nurse-led educational