Scoping Review of Distributed Practice in Nursing Education

Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the status of distributed practice in research of nursing education.

Background: The science of learning has compiled evidence-based strategies that should be integral to nursing education. One long-standing strategy, distributed practice, involves spacing, placing cognitive breaks between study or practice sessions with priority information.

Method: Reviewing literature published over 20 years at every level of nursing education, the authors conducted a scoping review to determine the extent to which research of nursing education includes attention to distributed practice.

Results: In the 13 articles meeting criteria, distributed practice was most common in continuing professional development, with an emphasis in learning psychomotor skills. Study authors used a variety of terms and descriptions in referring to the strategy.

Conclusion: By way of research, distributed practice appears underutilized in nursing education, especially at prelicensure and graduate levels, and could benefit from clear and consistent use of terminology.