Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42564475›Full record

ReviewJournal of the colleges of medicine of South Africa2026

All talk, little action: A scoping review mapping lifelong learning education strategies in postgraduate medical education.

Megan O'Connor, Antoine G L Rocher, Jennifer M Wolf, Veena Singaram, Leonard C Marais

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Journal of the colleges of medicine of South Africa, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Megan O'ConnorDiscipline of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8864-4916
Antoine G L RocherDiscipline of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9710-5591
Jennifer M WolfDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3514-8876
Veena SingaramAcademic Leader of Research, School of Clinical Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6974-7423
Leonard C MaraisDiscipline of Orthopaedic Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1120-8419

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Lifelong learning (LLL) is a core competency in postgraduate medical education (PGME), yet little is known about how registrar programmes teach it. Although LLL is prominent in policy and discourse, knowledge of best-practice educational strategies during registrar training remains limited. Aim: This study aimed to map and synthesise the empirical research of strategies designed to foster LLL in registrar training. Setting: The study was carried out at postgraduate orthopaedic training institutions in South Africa. Method: A scoping review was conducted in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses extension for scoping review (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines to identify educational strategies that promote LLL in PGME. Searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were performed from database inception to November 2025 using medical subject headings (MeSH) terms including 'lifelong learning' and 'registrar', supplemented by reference screening. Bibliographic data were tabulated, and strategies synthesised into three overarching categories. Results: Of the 492 records screened, eight studies met the inclusion criteria. Strategies clustered into three groups: (1) goal-setting; (2) reflection, self-assessment, and feedback; and (3) evidence-based medicine (EBM) training. The vehicles for delivering these strategies included individualised learning plans, portfolios, goal-setting requirements, and EBM training courses. Conclusion: The review identified eight studies describing strategies to foster LLL in registrar training, concentrated in North America, and non-surgical disciplines. The paucity and heterogeneity of published evidence highlight the need for intentional incorporation and evaluation of the impact of LLL in postgraduate curricula across diverse contexts. Contribution: This review provides the first mapped synthesis of explicit LLL educational strategies in PGME, identifying gaps and informing future curriculum design.

Indexed as

education strategiesevidence-based medicinegoal-settinglifelong learningpostgraduate medical educationreflective practiceregistrarsscoping review

Identifiers

PMID42564475
PMCPMC13443702

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.