Anxiety in nursing students: The impact of using mobile technology with quick response codes

Pre-licensure nursing students often experience anxiety, especially during their clinical learning experiences. High levels of anxiety can be disruptive to both clinical learning and safe patient care. Providing students with educational resources via mobile devices to review prior to performing psychomotor skills with real patients may help reduce their anxiety.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of using mobile devices with a scanning application for quick response codes in the clinical setting on students' anxiety levels in the clinical setting. A secondary aim was to explore the clinical faculty experience with and perceptions of the technology.

A one-group, repeated measures, quasi-experimental design was used.

The intervention occurred at 6 rehabilitation centers used for first semester clinical learning experiences at a School of Nursing in the southeast United States.

Convenience sampling was used and 42 first semester nursing students participated.

The State Trait Anxiety Inventory was used to measure self-reported anxiety prior to and following the use of mobile devices with quick response codes during an 8-week clinical learning experience. One focus group was conducted with the 4 clinical faculty members who taught the students.

The State Trait items indicated reduced anxiety for performing psychomotor skills. Median scores for positive feelings items significantly increased from 22.74 to 30.49 (p < .001), while median scores for negative feelings items decreased from 31.83 to 13.71 (p < .001). The faculty expressed that student anxiety was reduced with technology and they recommended integration throughout the curriculum.

Student anxiety for performing psychomotor skills was reduced following use of mobile technology with quick response codes. More research is needed; however, clinical faculty may consider integrating this technology into students' clinical learning experiences to assist with reducing their anxiety.