Innovation for Nursing Education: Using Accelerometers for Teaching Nursing Skills

Kanai-Pak, Masako

Monday, July 11, 2011: 10:55 AM

Masako Kanai-Pak, PhD, RN¹
Jukai Maeda, PhD, RN¹
Mitsuhiro Nakamura, MScN, RN¹
Yasuko Kitajima, MBA, RN¹
Miwa Hirata, RN¹
Yuriko Takabatake, MA, RN¹
Kyoko Aida, MS, RN¹
Yoshihiro Takebe, BA²
Noriaki Kuwahara, PhD³
Jun Ota, PhD⁴
(1)Faculty of Nursing, Tokyo Ariake University of Medical and Health Sciences, Tokyo, Japan
(2)Research into Artifacts, Center for Engineering, University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan
(3)Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Kyoto, Japan
(4)Research into Artifacts, Center for Engineering (RACE), The University of Tokyo, Chiba, Japan

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to understand an educational situation for nursing students in Japan.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to understand one of the innovative ideas for teaching nursing skills.

Background: Teaching nursing skills such as taking vital signs and setting up IV drips to undergraduate students is always challenging due to time constrain of curriculum. Yet, nursing students are expected to perform those skills during their clinical practice as they learned at school. Nursing skills specifically related to clinical are critical because unskilled in clinical skills impinge upon patient lives. In order for nursing students to learn nursing care skills effectively, the researchers have developed a　learning program using accelerometers.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate an innovative learning program for transfer skills using accelerometers. Based on the researchers’ previous studies, the feasibility of discriminating transfer skills with using accelerometers was proved.

Methods: An experimental study was conducted to test effectiveness of the learning program. Twenty freshmen students were randomly assigned to the experimental group (10 students) and the control group (10 students). For the experimental group, the students practiced transfer simulated patients from bed to wheelchair using the learning program with which four accelerometers were attached the students’ both upper arms, waist, and chest while performing transfer skills. At the same time, the students’ performance was video taped via cameras. After the performance, the students were able to visualize their performance using the accelerometers’ data so that they could analyze their movement. For the control group, the students practiced using a model video and the textbook. A performance test of transfer was conducted with both groups after the same length of practice.

Results: The performance test scores were compared between the experiment and control groups. The performance test score of the experimental group was significantly higher compared with the score of the control group.

Conclusion: It was demonstrated that the innovative learning program for transfer skills using accelerometers was effective.

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