Domestic and family violence simulation-based experiences within the pre-registration nursing curricula: A scoping review

Nurse Educ Today. 2026 Mar 23;163:107081. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2026.107081. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Domestic and family violence is a global issue which impacts the mental and physical health of victim-survivors, their families and the wider community. Nurses are ideally positioned to identify, assess and support victim-survivors. Opportunities to develop professional nursing skills occur within formal training and education. This scoping review’s objective is to map the components of domestic and family violence simulation-based experiences within the pre-registration nursing curricula.

METHODS: This review follows the JBI methodology and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) Checklist. Searches were conducted in July 2023 and updated in July 2025. Databases searched included CINAHL, MEDLINE, ProQuest, APA PsycInfo, Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, and Informit followed by manual searching of reference list in the included papers. One author undertook comprehensive electronic searching. Two authors then blind reviewed all articles using inclusion criteria before agreeing on the final nine (n = 9) that met the aim of this study.

RESULTS: From the studies included in this scoping review it is evident that domestic and family violence content is included in pre-registration nursing curricula via the pedagogical approach of simulation-based experiences. The components of these experiences varied and included education and industry-based settings, and a range of scenarios, fidelity and curriculum positioning.

CONCLUSION: Institutions which provide pre-registration nursing education ought to evaluate and publish their findings in relation to the domestic and family violence content they offer to contribute to improving understanding of current practices. Moreover, more collaboration across institutions will further this discourse.

PMID:41895175 | DOI:10.1016/j.nedt.2026.107081