Evidence Summary: Emerging technology and Nursing Education
There are benefits and concerns attributed to the use of mobile technology in nursing education. A way forward to enhance mobile technology in nursing should be charted. Many nursing programs have already implemented the use of mobile technology in laboratories, classrooms, and clinical settings but face challenges in the form of insufficient faculty acceptance, lack of IT support and lack of structured assignments which are necessary to make use of the technology more effective (Raman, 2015). Identification of possible challenges in the integration of mobile technology in nursing problems will help in putting in place measures to reduce the challenges identified. Strength of the article lies in the credibility of the articles reviewed as they are all from credible sources where only reviewed articles are published, and that it is relevant to the healthcare environment since it is recent. On the other hand, selection criteria locked out articles that may be relevant, making generalization of the findings difficult.
Students’ opinions are essential when designing mobile technologies to be used in nursing programs. Undergraduate nursing students were considered in the study. Most nursing students own smartphones, but less than half of them makes use of mobile apps in clinical practice as a result of challenges they experience (O’Connor & Andrews, 2018). Nursing students, however, acknowledge the benefits of integrating mobile technologies in nursing programs. The study supports that mobile technology can be of great assistance in nursing programs if there is coordination between students and faculties. Generalizations were possible because of the large sample size used, but the study only considered the perspective of students, yet faculty members are also part of nursing programs. The article has a level 2 strength because it is a randomized study using true experimental design.
Learning from mobile devices has a great impact in facilitating academic success in nursing students (Forehand, Miller, & Carter, 2017). The argument that integrating mobile technology in nursing programs helps in creating a learner-centered approach contributes to the need for technology in nursing programs. Integrating mobile technology opens up learning of skills beyond the confines of the classroom, and this suggests that mobile technology will have benefits when introduced to the nursing programs. Impact on both the student and the teacher is studied, making the findings of the research more applicable to the topic. Challenges that need to be addressed before the success is achieved are not discussed in the research since it is only focusing on the benefits of mobile technology. The study has a level 2 strength of evidence since it is randomized, and it uses experimental design.
The millennial generation is more comfortable with technology, but they are limited in using smartphones in the context of clinical practice. Nursing students taking in community practicum have unclear expectations about the use of smartphones in nursing programs, which forces to adopt individual strategies to keep their professional image (Beauregard, Arnaert, & Ponzoni, 2017). Possible impediments that may make integration of mobile technology in nursing programs a failure are pointed out, making the study significant to the topic of research. Primary data is used in the study, making the findings more credible, and it investigates the perception of students on the use of smartphones in community practicum, which is the topic of research. The study, however, makes use of a small sample size, making it hard to generalize the findings. The article has level 6 of strength because it is non-randomized and uses qualitative research.
Effects that a mobile video clip has on the level of competence, motivation, and class satisfaction in nursing student were studied. Video clips using mobile devices are useful tools in the teaching of clinical skills as it improves learning outcomes (Lee et al., 2016). The study shows the difference that exists when mobile technology is used in nursing programs and when it is not used. Use of both the experiment and control groups makes it easier to compare results. A large sample size was used. Therefore, the findings can be used on generalizations about students in the same nursing program. The researchers made use of students from one college and only evaluated the impact of mobile technology in one nursing skill, making it difficult to generalize results confidently. The results in the study are based on qualitative studies with samples being randomly chosen; the article has level 2 strength of evidence.
References
Beauregard, P., Arnaert, A., & Ponzoni, N. (2017). Nursing students’ perceptions of using smartphones in the community practicum: A qualitative study. Nurse Education Today, 53, 1–6.
Forehand, J. W., Miller, B., & Carter, H. (2017). Integrating mobile devices into the nursing classroom. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 12(1), 50–52.
Lee, N.-J., Chae, S.-M., Kim, H., Lee, J.-H., Min, H. J., & Park, D.-E. (2016). Mobile-based video learning outcomes in clinical nursing skill education: A randomized controlled trial. Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 34(1), 8.
O’Connor, S., & Andrews, T. (2018). Smartphones and mobile applications (apps) in clinical nursing education: A student perspective. Nurse Education Today, 69, 172–178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.07.013
Raman, J. (2015). Mobile technology in nursing education: Where do we go from here? A review of the literature. Nurse Education Today, 35(5), 663–672. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2015.01.018