Clinical placement sites and practical learning environments in health professions education: a systematized descriptive and thematic review of Scopus indexed records, 2020 to 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63688/ihs.v3.i2.102Keywords:
clinical placement sites, health professions education, practical learning, clinical supervision, professional competencies.Abstract
This study aimed to descriptively and thematically analyze records indexed in Scopus between 2020 and 2026 concerning clinical placement sites and practical learning environments in health professions education. A systematized review was conducted using titles, abstracts, keywords, and bibliographic metadata. The search initially identified 11,640 records. After applying document filters and removing duplicates, 9,669 records were screened by title and abstract. Of these, 5,713 were excluded because of insufficient thematic relevance, and 3,956 formed the final corpus. The thematic classification was supported by ATLAS.ti and manually validated by both authors. The results were organized into three non-mutually exclusive dimensions: pedagogical quality and competency development, identified in 2,107 records (53.3%); supervision, relationships, and student well-being, present in 2,071 records (52.4%); and institutional conditions and innovation in practical learning environments, observed in 1,663 records (42.0%). The analyzed content emphasized theory–practice integration, feedback, integration into healthcare teams, psychological safety, supervisor availability, institutional coordination, and the incorporation of educational technologies. It is concluded that the literature approaches clinical education as a multidimensional process. These findings describe general thematic trends but do not establish the effectiveness of specific interventions or the superiority of particular clinical education models.References
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