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Online intravenous pump emulator: As effective as face-to-face simulation for training nursing students
Victoria R Terry1, Clint Moloney1, Leslie Bowtell1
1Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences, University of Southern Queensland, Toowoomba, Australia.
Background:
The expansion of online education for nursing students has created the challenge of finding innovative ways to teach clinical skills. An online intravenous pump emulator (IVPE) modelled on actual IV pumps used in clinical healthcare settings was developed to facilitate online education delivery.
Objectives:
The objectives of the study were to implement the online IVPE and evaluate student learning outcomes and perceptions of device use.
Design:
A mixed method, quasi-experimental design was used.
Setting:
The study was conducted in the School of Nursing and Midwifery at a regional university in Queensland, Australia.
Participants:
Participants were 179 first year nursing students enrolled in a medications course, ranging in age from 18 to 44years, of whom 150 were female.
Methods:
Participants were assigned to one of three groups and trained in the use of IV infusion pumps. Group 1 (n=57) were trained online using the IVPE (ONL); Group 2 (n=73) were trained on-campus using an actual IV pump (ONC); Group 3 (n=49) were trained both on-campus using the actual IV pump and online using the IVPE (ONL+ONC). Competence in using the actual IV pump was assessed for all participants at the conclusion of the training period.
Results:
No significant differences in learning outcomes, measured by assessment scores out of 80 points, were found between the ONL (M=65.5±9.2) and ONC (M=62.0±14.8; p>.05) groups. Significantly better learning outcomes were evident for the ONL+ONC group (M=68.7±4.9) compared to the ONC group (p<.01).
Conclusions:
This study highlights that the nursing students became more competent in the skill of preparing and administrating IV infusions when face-to-face and online learning were combined.
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