Effectiveness of Structured Oncology Nursing Education Interventions: A Systematic Review of Educational Strategies and Competency Outcomes

Background: As cancer care becomes increasingly complex, nurses require advanced clinical, communicative and psychosocial competencies. Structured oncology education has been developed across undergraduate and continuing professional development contexts; however, the educational effectiveness and pedagogical characteristics of these interventions remain insufficiently synthesised. This review evaluates the effectiveness of structured oncology nursing education strategies in developing competency-related outcomes and examines their implications for curriculum design. Methods: A systematic review was conducted in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library were searched through December 2025. Interventional studies evaluating structured oncology education programmes for nurses or nursing students were included. Risk of bias was assessed using RoB 2, ROBINS-I and JBI appraisal tools. Given heterogeneity in design and outcome measurement, findings were synthesised narratively. Results: Fourteen studies representing diverse global contexts evaluated workshops, simulation-based learning, blended and distance education, outcome-based curricula and in-service training. Across designs, structured oncology education was consistently associated with improvements in knowledge, self-efficacy and selected domains of clinical and communication competence. Interventions incorporating simulation, active learning and blended modalities demonstrated stronger gains in skills-based and confidence outcomes. Methodological limitations included small samples, reliance on self-reported measures and limited long-term follow-up. Conclusion: Structured oncology nursing education interventions are associated with improvements in cognitive, psychomotor and affective competency domains. Findings support the integration of competency-based, practice-aligned oncology content into undergraduate curricula and continuing professional development frameworks. Future research should prioritise rigorous designs, validated performance measures and longitudinal evaluation to strengthen the evidence base for oncology nursing education.