Mapping educational scholarship in a mixed-financing health system: A scoping review of health professions education research in Singapore

Mapping educational scholarship in a mixed-financing health system: A scoping review of health professions education research in Singapore | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Systematic Review Mapping educational scholarship in a mixed-financing health system: A scoping review of health professions education research in Singapore May May Yeo, Aditee Narayan, Bernard C.Y. Tan, Melissa S.L. Ng, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7909772/v3 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 3 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract Background: More than a decade since the 2010 landmark Lancet Commission called for systems-based reforms, aligning health professions education (HPE) with health system needs remains a global imperative. The aim of this scoping review was to systematically examine the literature on adult learning among Singapore’s healthcare professionals to provide evidence to guide national improvement and inform global adaptation. The study focuses on Singapore as a case of a system characterized by mixed-financing and open access to specialist care. Methods: This scoping review followed the methodological framework established by Arksey and O’Malley, incorporating enhancements by Peters et al. The review is reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. We conducted a comprehensive search of the PubMed, ERIC, SCOPUS, and CINAHL in February 2025. Publications and abstracts describing, examining, referencing, or commenting on adult learning in Singapore were included without time restriction. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts, with full-text review confirming relevance. Screening was managed using the Covidence systematic review software. Results: The search identified 762 unique articles, with 58 studies meeting the final inclusion criteria. From these, we systematically mapped the characteristics, quality, and evidence gaps of the HPE research landscape in Singapore. Key characteristics include concentration in nursing and medicine, a predominance of survey-based methods, and a focus on lower-level Kirkpatrick outcomes. While simulation and online learning are increasingly being studied, we identified significant evidence gaps in postgraduate assessment, educational scholarship, multi-institutional studies, and evaluation of higher-level outcomes. Discussion : The mapped characteristics of Singapore’s HPE research suggest a link between the health system’s structure and research feasibility. Rather than demonstrating causality, our analysis generates a testable hypothesis about this relationship. The study offers a replicable methodology for other systems to map their own research landscapes and provides a clear agenda for future inquiry into these systemic influences, advancing the global goal of contextually relevant HPE. Educational Philosophy and Theory scoping review health professions education healthcare systems lifelong learning online learning adult education professional development scholarship Singapore healthcare professionals Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files HPEScopingReviewandHealthSystemsposted.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 3 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7909772","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Systematic Review","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":536463846,"identity":"1346bee3-69cd-4c6b-8c65-059faf8de25b","order_by":0,"name":"May May Yeo","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8823-1799","institution":"Duke-NUS Medical School","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"May","middleName":"May","lastName":"Yeo","suffix":""},{"id":536463847,"identity":"3767a288-4162-4f95-af44-751237d073dc","order_by":1,"name":"Aditee Narayan","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9691-7950","institution":"Duke University School of Medicine","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Aditee","middleName":"","lastName":"Narayan","suffix":""},{"id":536463848,"identity":"ddae6d65-1129-4595-bf0f-1eaa30b17a11","order_by":2,"name":"Bernard C.Y. 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