Instructional Design, Industry Partnerships, and QR Codes Improve Nursing Competency Evaluation

New medical devices are frequently introduced at the point of care, and nursing competence in their management is critical for safe patient care. Industry vendors often provide on-the-job in-services for new devices within the constraints of clinical priorities, yet these in-services are not usually monitored or systematically coordinated with stakeholders.

This project employed quick response (QR) codes and best practices in instructional design in a partnership with vendors to develop and evaluate the impact of an in-service for a new medical device on nursing competence. An online survey measured usefulness, knowledge, and the change in self-perceived competence.

A total of 536 nurses participated, and 91.2% correctly answered five or six of six questions about device management. The proportion of nurses rating their competence as no experience decreased from 21.2% to 4.5%, and ratings for can do independently/competent increased from 37.6% to 60.2%.

The use of QR codes offers novel solutions to evaluate how structured, on-the-job education can positively impact nursing practice around medical devices. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2024;55(9):425-432.].