Applying a Meta-synthesis Approach to Present a Blended Learning Model for Talent Development

Background: With the rapid development of healthcare, traditional teaching has been unable to meet the learning needs of hospital staff training, which has led to talent development. With the development of Internet technology, blended learning seems to be a new available choice to solve the current predicament. However, the effectiveness of blended learning is still controversial. In addition, most studies have primarily evaluated the teaching effect unilaterally. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to apply a meta-synthesis approach to synthesize research on blended learning models for talent development in healthcare settings. By examining a body of evidence from peer-reviewed studies, the authors aimed to identify common elements of effective blended learning models applied to hospital employee training. This synthesis provided a foundation for developing a comprehensive blended learning model tailored to the specific needs of hospital employees. Methods: In this study, the meta-synthesis approach was used to synthesize qualitative evidence in relation to blended learning factors in talent development. A comprehensive search strategy was used to retrieve articles from ScienceDirect, Emerald, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus within 1990 to 2023. To find additional studies, the bibliographic search of included studies and review articles and a random search in Google Scholar, Research Gate, and Google were carried out. A total of 751 studies were identified. After reviewing the full text of the articles, 89 studies were selected. This review evaluated studies that explained blended learning and talent development among healthcare employees. Eighty-six studies were selected and included in the meta-synthesis process after critical appraisal using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program. Results: The findings consisted of the model’s dimensions, components, and indices. The five identified dimensions include specifying learning needs, learning campaign elements, learning proposal, content strategy, and facilitation model consisting of 22 components and 76 indices. Conclusions: The identification and application of the obtained components will allow the policymakers and managers of the health system field to replace the traditional training of employees with blended learning, culminating in employee talent development.