BACKGROUND
Medical education has evolved to train skilled and reliable professionals, giving great importance to the hidden curriculum and its contribution to medical professionalism and humanism.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the available evidence on the benefits and adverse effects of the hidden curriculum in medical education.
METHODS
A scoping review of the literature available in the indexed databases PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct and LILACS with MeSH descriptors was conducted on the effects of the hidden curriculum in medical education between 2000 and April 2024. Twenty-six papers were selected for review.
RESULTS
We found studies from 10 countries, mainly descriptive and cross-sectional, which showed that the hidden curriculum has benefits and adverse effects in medical education. These include the transmission of implicit values, and the influence on forming skills and professional identity. It was found that some elements contribute to the integral development of students, and others generate challenges that affect the quality of medical education. Likewise, the need for further research to design of implementation strategies in the different medical schools is described.
CONCLUSIONS
The hidden curriculum proves to have both a positive and negative impact on the attitudes and values of medical students. The need to generate greater awareness and proactive strategies in educational institutions to improve the quality of training and promote the holistic development of future health professionals is highlighted.