Objective: In this systematic review we describe best practices for teaching pharmacology to undergraduate baccalaureate nursing students based on the available evidence. Numerous teaching strategies employed in undergraduate pharmacology courses for nursing students have been summarized and compared for their impact on pharmacology knowledge retention, application of pharmacology theory to practice, and student satisfaction. Future directions for research are discussed.

Design: The review was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Data Sources: The Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Academic Search Complete, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and Education Source and Health Reference Centre Academic were searched using key search terms and phrases. Twenty studies, conducted between 2001 and 2017, met the inclusion criteria.

Method: Quality assessment was made in accordance with two appraisal tools: Kirkpatrick’s framework and the Medical Education Research Quality Instrument (MERSQI) for quantitative studies.

Results: Online, simulation, and integrated methods of teaching pharmacology were most beneficial for pharmacology knowledge acquisition and student satisfaction. Traditional lecture, problem-based learning, and a flipped classroom were least effective strategies for teaching pharmacology to undergraduate students.

Conclusions: This systematic review will contribute to the body of knowledge used by nurse educators who teach in undergraduate nursing programs, may be particularly useful for undergraduate nursing program directors/administrators who are considering undergoing curricular changes, and may be a conduit for future researchers who wish to design studies aimed at improving teaching and learning within undergraduate nursing education.

Det gis en tydelig bakgrunn for forskningsoppsummeringen. Den har en klar og tydelig problemstilling og det redegjøres kortfattet, men klart, for inklusjons- og eksklusjonskriterier. Søket er systematisk, det er gjort søk i fire baser, søkeordene oppgis, og de ulike fasene i prosessen er dokumentert i en tabell. Gjennomgang av litteraturlister har også medført inklusjon av nye artikler. Totalt er 20 artikler inkludert. Resultatene av de inkluderte artiklene presenteres på en oversiktlig måte – både i tekst og tabeller. Det er også foretatt en vurdering av kvalitet, begrensninger og skjevheter, ved hver av studiene. Vurderingene er basert på etablerte kriterier.  I teksten presenteres resultatene av artiklene basert på undervisningsmetode, herunder online-undervisning og blended learning, flipped classroom og tradisjonelle forelesninger. Resultatene fra de inkluderte studiene lot seg i liten grad oppsummere statistisk, men oppsummeringen av resultatene virker grundig og veloverveid.