Soft skills education for health sciences students: Exploratory systematic review

Abstract

Background: Conventional pedagogical approaches within health sciences degrees have historically prioritised theoretical and practical competencies, under the assumption that these are adequate for ensuring effective professional performance. However, transversal competences – more commonly referred to as 'soft skills' – are essential for professionals to adapt to diverse contexts and respond effectively to environmental demands. Aim: The objective of this study is to analyse the training of soft skills among students enrolled in university degrees in health sciences. Design: A systematic literature review was conducted to evaluate the current state of soft skills training in health sciences education. Methodology: A comprehensive literature search was performed across five databases: The following bibliographic databases were consulted: Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Dialnet, and Scielo. The preliminary search yielded 933 studies, of which 19 satisfied the inclusion criteria and were subjected to detailed analysis. Results: It was reported that students who received training in teamwork exhibited high levels of satisfaction, along with enhanced interaction skills. Furthermore, the relevance of such training in their academic development was recognised. Conversely, interventions centred on communication and patient interaction exhibited substantial enhancements in students' competencies. Conclusion: The integration of soft skills development into health sciences curricula is imperative to enhance students' professional readiness and workplace performance. Notwithstanding the favourable outcomes observed, the heterogeneity of the studies reviewed limits the ability to draw definitive conclusions, thus highlighting the need for more standardised research in this area.