A review of trends in health professions education research at the turn of three decades (2000, 2010, and 2020).

Introduction: Health professions education research has evolved as a discipline, yet chronological trends in topics and methodologies together have not been comprehensively explored previously. This study aimed to identify the trends in research topics and methodologies used in primary empirical studies published in reputable health professions education research journals at the turn of three decades (2000, 2010, and 2020).

Methods: Underpinned by relativism and subjectivism, this review of trends included primary empirical studies published in five quartile 1 health professions education research journals, defined by Clarivate (Academic Medicine, Advances in Health Sciences Education, Medical Education, Medical Teacher, and Nurse Education Today) from three sample years at the start of three decades (2000, 2010, and 2020). Each study was coded for demographics (e.g., country of origin), topic area, and methodological approach, including philosophical positioning, study design, and methods. Data were analysed descriptively.

Results: A total of 1126 empirical studies were published across the three time-points, with the majority from North American and European countries. More papers were published in recent years, with publications doubling in 2020 (n = 488) compared with 2000 (n = 223). Effective teaching methods were the most researched topic, whereas teaching and learning of Indigenous health received the least priority consistently across the three time-periods. Over half of the methodologies were quantitative, followed by qualitative, and mixed methods. The use of qualitative methodologies and the reporting of philosophical positioning (mostly in qualitative studies) have gradually increased over the three time-points. Many studies, however, still fail to report key markers of methodological quality.

Discussion: Despite positive trends in health professions education research (more studies, multi-institutional research, and balanced methodological approaches), our review of trends identified notable issues (e.g., limited country diversity, missing criteria for methodological quality, and less-diverse research topics). We therefore encourage greater consideration of the role of journals in shaping the future, quality of output reporting, and gaps in the literature; thereby diversifying what and how we research health professions education.