Teaching Strategies to Approach Social Inequalities: An Overview of Nursing Studies

Social inequalities are public health issues that require the development of professional competence in the training of nurses through highlighting actions based on equality. The present study aimed to assess the teaching strategies to approach social inequalities in nursing training. The publications in the past 10 years in Portuguese, English, and Spanish were reviewed and indexed in five databases. In total, 426 papers were found, and 16 were selected and grouped based on similarities or the adopted teaching strategies. The selected studies were mostly conducted in the United States at the undergraduate level, presenting predominantly low evidential levels. Punctual interventions were observed as the proposition of elective disciplines and adoption of counseling and innovative and structuring guidelines with the potential to reach the discussion of inequalities. In addition, service learning has been identified as a potent strategy to address social disparities by enabling the development of active reflection for experiential learning. Virtual and classroom simulations and theoretical classes have also been employed to provide training on the social inequalities associated with clinical education. Although the analyzed strategies have specificities, their combined use could further enhance the commitment of nursing education to surpass inequalities.