Table 1 Major characteristics of the included records

Geographic location

USA

19 (42%)

[64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,77,78,79,80,81]

UK (incl. Scotland and Ireland)

19 (42%)

[18, 81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99]

Canada

1 (2%)

[100]

Netherlands

1 (2%)

[101]

Singapore

1 (2%)

[102]

Germany

1 (2%)

[103]

Mexico

1 (2%)

[104]

New Zealand

1 (2%)

[105]

Other

2 (4%)

[106, 107]

Training program

Curricula

3 (7%)

[75, 78, 104]

Service learning

1 (2%)

[79]

Leadership and team building programs

12 (27%)

[18, 83,84,85,86,87,88,89, 94,95,96, 99]

End of life care

[74, 76, 99]

Specific patient populations

3 (7%)

[75, 77, 78, 90]

Self reflection

5 (11%)

[80, 81, 98, 106]

Clinical simulation

2 (4%)

[94, 97]

Role modeling

2 (4%)

[74, 91]

Contemplative therapy

11 (24%)

[66, 67, 69, 70, 72, 82, 92, 93, 101,102,103]

Complementary therapy

4 (9%)

[64, 65, 68, 73]

Other

3 (7%)

[71, 100, 105]

Learner type

Nurses

22 (49%)

[18, 65, 70, 73, 74, 76, 77, 79, 83, 85, 86, 89, 91,92,93, 95, 96, 100]

Nursing professors

2 (4%)

[79, 107]

Critical care nurses

1 (2%)

[75]

Midwives

2 (4%)

[85, 87]

Physicians

4 (9%)

[66, 67, 101, 106]

Palliative physicians

1 (2%)

[80]

Mental health providers

3 (7%)

[82, 97, 102]

Staff^b

13 (29%)

[64, 68, 69, 71, 72, 78, 81, 88, 90, 94, 98, 99, 103,104,105]

Evaluation

Self report

34 (76%)

[64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76, 78,79,80,81,82, 87, 90,91,92,93,94, 97, 98, 100,101,102,103,104,105,106,107]

External assessment

1 (2%)

[77]

Self report and external assessment

10 (22%)

[18, 83,84,85,86, 88, 89, 95, 96, 99]