Person-centred care and online pedagogy in nursing education: A discussion paper

Aim: To discuss person-centred care in nursing education and the role of online pedagogy to facilitate meaninful learning. Background: The core principles and values of person-centred care are at the centre of national and international healthcare education. Person-centred care recognises partnerships and relationships between nurses, healthcare practitioners and individual patients, carers and their families and part of the training of healthcare professionals. However, the literature on how person-centred care is taught to facilitate meaningful learning in nursing education particularly in the context of online pedagogy is limited. Design: A critical discussion paper. Methods: A critical discussion of person-centred care and online pedagogy that can facilitate teaching practices are presented, drawing on authors’ positionality and case exemplars. Results: Teaching person-centred care using online pedagogy appears to have a promising impact on undergraduate and postgraduate nursing students’ experiences. Engaging students in critical examination and reflection on the complexities of person-centred care in practice creates meaningful experiential learning for both students and educators. Conclusion: Evidence suggests that the use of online pedagogy is a beneficial and effective way to incorporate the teaching of person-centred care into nursing education, yet more evidence is needed to evaluate its impact on nursing practice.