Flashcards versus educational video: A comparison in order to promote laparoscopic surgical instrument learning

Since laparoscopic surgical instruments are sensitive and expensive; Therefore, it is necessary to use new methods to learn these tools, and due to the ease of use and the availability of flash cards and videos, as new educational tools, the present study aims to compare the effects of teaching laparoscopic tools with The use of flash cards and video training on the level of student 's education Operating room nursing was performed.

This semi-experimental, two-group pre-test-post-test study was conducted on 52 nursing students in the operating room program in 2023, who were included in the study through convenient sampling. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups of 26 using simple random allocation. The names of two classes, semesters 4 and 6, were provided to the statistics instructor, who evenly divided the individuals into two groups for training using flashcards and educational videos. The flashcards included 13 double-sided cards, with the tool's image and the tool's name along with its application. The educational video was a 6-minute researcher-made film. The content of both methods included tools used in laparoscopic cholecystectomy, such as the clip applier, lens, Veress needle, Metzembaum scissors, fan-street, Maryland, J-hook, endo-clinch, wire cauter, and various trocars and ports. The data collection instrument included a researcher-made test with 20 multiple-choice questions, the content and face validity of which were assessed by 10 faculty members from Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, laparoscopic surgeons, and experienced operating room technologists. Additionally, 10 CVI forms were provided to validate the content of the learning test questionnaire, which assessed each question individually based on five criteria: necessity, importance, relevance, clarity, and simplicity. The final assessment was based on a formula. The minimum score for students at the end of each test was 0, and the maximum was 20. The reliability of the instrument was calculated using the Spearman-Brown score, yielding a result of 0.615, which was approved. Data were collected in two phases: before the intervention and two weeks after it. The data were analyzed using Chi-square tests, independent t-tests, paired t-tests, and a significance level of P < 0.05.

The two groups did not show significant differences in terms of gender, age, GPA, academic term, or scores in theoretical courses on operating room tools and equipment, and surgical technology in gastrointestinal and endocrine areas (P > 0.05). Before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference in the mean learning scores between the two groups (P = 0.607). The mean learning score for students in the flashcard training group before and after the intervention (3.98 ± 11 vs. 1.97 ± 15.17) was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Additionally, results showed that the mean learning score for students in the video training group before and after the intervention (3.69 ± 10.92 vs. 1.06 ± 18.57) was also statistically significant (P < 0.05). The mean learning score for the video training group after the intervention was significantly higher than that of the flashcard group (P < 0.001).

The results of the study indicated that training on laparoscopic tools in cholecystectomy using both flashcards and educational videos led to an increase in the students' learning outcomes. Therefore, it is recommended to use both methods as complementary educational tools in the training of operating room nursing students.