Healthc Inform Res.  2018 Apr;24(2):97-108. 10.4258/hir.2018.24.2.97.

Mobile Technology in Undergraduate Nursing Education: A Systematic Review

• Lee H
• Min H
• Oh SM
• Shim K

• KMID: 2418178
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4258/hir.2018.24.2.97

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
This study aimed to identify and systematically review the literature on the use of mobile technology in nursing education. The research findings could evidence the effectiveness of mobile technology in undergraduate nursing students' learning outcomes.
METHODS
Computerized searches were conducted using the Ovid-MEDLINE, Ovid-EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL databases for relevant primary studies and limited to those between 2000 and February 2018. Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies published in either English or Korean were included and critically appraised using Joanna Briggs Institute tools.
RESULTS
Seven RCTs and 7 quasi-experimental studies were identified. The mobile device and intervention applied varied throughout all the studies. Studies published earlier in the 2000s found that immediate access to clinical and pharmacological referencing information through the mobile device increased students' efficacy in clinical practice. Later studies, which were mostly conducted in Korea, reported that smartphone-based applications could promote nursing students' learning motivation and satisfaction but not their clinical skills and knowledge.
CONCLUSIONS
We still seem to be in the beginning stage of implementing mobile technology in nursing education due to the limited implication of mobile technology and inconsistent research conclusions. In the future, rigorous primary empirical studies are needed to suggest the effective use of mobile devices in nursing education.

Keyword

Nursing; Smartphone; Education; Review; Mobile Applications

MeSH Terms

Clinical Competence
Education
Education, Nursing*
Korea
Learning
Mobile Applications
Motivation
Non-Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
Nursing*
Smartphone

Figure

• 

  Figure 1 PRISMA flow diagram of the literature search. RCT: randomized controlled trial.

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