An iPhone education: technology enhanced learning in clinical practice

Background: Several studies have reported that mobile information technologies, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), provide nurses and nursing students with instant access to evidence based material at the point of care which can increase their knowledge and skill, reduce error and improve patient care. Given the growing importance of mHealth it is surprising that there is a paucity of literature on newer technologies like smartphones in nursing education and practice as they offer more advanced functionality and overcome some of the traditional limitations of PDAs.Aim and objectives: To design an iPhone application, called I am a student nurse, in conjunction with the Health Information Systems Research Centre (HISRC) at University College Cork which supports undergraduate nursing students' clinical education and training. To explore nursing students experiences of using this app in clinical practice so as to identify and understand its perceived benefits and limitations. Methods: The study adopted an interpretative phenomenological research design. Purposive sampling was used to recruit second year undergraduate nursing students to a pilot study of the iPhone application in Cork University Hospital and the South Infirmary Victoria University Hospital. Qualitative data was collected using a post study online survey (n=5).Analysis and Results: All the nursing students surveyed reported the iPhone app was a useful learning tool in clinical environments. Content analysis revealed that nursing students felt having instant access to evidence based material via the iPhone app improved their knowledge and practice of key nursing skills. They also reported feeling more positive and confident about their delivery of care as they felt the app made it more efficient and effective. However some students experienced negative attitudes from nursing staff towards using mobile technology in clinical settings. Recommendations: The results of the study suggest that undergraduate nursing students’ found the iPhone app beneficial as it enhanced their clinical education and training. However more in-depth research is needed to examine its application and effectiveness in detail. The use of smartphone technology at the point of care in clinical nursing education is an innovative approach to learning and one which will continue to evolve and improve. It is hoped the results of this study will encourage nurse educators to adopt this technology to provide students with more flexible forms of learning that are in keeping with the growing trend in mobile health. This study was funded by the HRB Summer Student Scholarship 2012. Special Innovation Award for conference paper and presentation.