Searching for Patient Involvement in Obstetrics and Gynecology Education and Training; A Scoping Review

Background: The active involvement of patients in Health Professions Education (HPE) fosters partnerships and enhances patient-centred care. While reviews have explored this topic broadly, patient involvement in Obstetrics and Gynecology (OB/GYN) education and training, an area of care that addresses sensitive issues, remains poorly understood. Synthesized evidence is crucial in guiding research priorities.Objective: The purpose of this scoping study was to comprehensively synthesize English and French evidence on patient involvement in OB/GYN education and training. The following research questions were addressed: (1) How is patient involvement in OB/GYN education and training conceptualized? (2) What is the nature and state of research on this topic? (3) What are priority areas for future research?Methods: With the support of a Research Librarian, we developed and executed search strategies in EMBASE, Education Source, Academic Search Complete, Web of Science, MEDLINE, ERIC, APA PsycINFO, and CINAHL, utilizing Covidence to facilitate screening and publication selection. Included publications detail patient involvement in OB/GYN education and training within medicine, nursing, and midwifery, published in English and French. We conducted a complementary search of reference lists and relevant educational and professional websites. We iteratively developed and piloted a data extraction form in Excel, extracting data from all included sources.Results: After screening 3,085 titles and abstracts and reviewing 147 full texts, 34 publications were included, with 11 added through reference list reviews, for a total of 45. Patient involvement was primarily used as a tool to enhance HPE programming, ensuring content meets patient needs, and supporting competency development. Most examples came from midwifery, followed by medicine and nursing. Patients were typically positioned as information sources, sharing their lived experience. A key gap was inconsistent reporting, with many studies lacking essential contextual details about the nature of involvement. Conclusions: Patient involvement remains a passive focus in the field of OB/GYN and requires more targeted research. Particularly, the field would benefit from clear reporting standards and a shared framework for evaluating involvement that captures its contextual complexity. Keywords: health professions education, obstetrics, gynecology, patient involvement