Computer-based nursing education: An integrative review of empirical studies

The goal of this study is to explore the ways in which Computer-Based Nursing Learning (CBNL) has been studied and the findings that have been made with regard to its use in undergraduate nursing education. We undertook an integrative review by selecting papers published in English between 2007 and 2010. We included in the review empirical studies comparing CBNL with other training strategies for clinical skills education in the context of undergraduate nursing education. We carried out an electronic search in which specific keywords were used, and a total of 467 citations were found. Nine of these studies met the inclusion criteria. A list of criteria for evaluating the quality of the empirical studies identified was also used. With regard to the impact of CBNL on skill performance and cognitive recall, the results were positive since most studies reported higher skill and knowledge scores using CBNL. Only two studies tested skill or cognitive retention. Seven studies reported high levels of students' satisfaction with CBNL. However, the authors identified some problems related to technical issues in four studies. Finally, we described and criticized the experiences, since important weaknesses in the experimental designs were detected. We also provided some recommendations for better practices in the research methods.