Use of and satisfaction with a browser-based nurse teaching tool in a surgical intensive care unit.

Full Abstract

Our goal was to determine if a computerized teaching tool is an effective teaching method for nurses in a high-stress fast-paced intensive care unit. We also measured the level of satisfaction with this method of instruction. Thirty-six surgical intensive care nurses used a Web-based Microsoft PowerPoint presentation located on the intranet at nursing stations located on the surgical intensive care unit (SICU). The presentation was designed to provide instruction regarding the methodology and use of APACHE III prior to its implementation. Paired t-tests were performed to compare the results of a pretest and posttest. The questions were divided into two types: methodology and use. After the nurses completed their training sessions, they were asked to complete a questionnaire. The questionnaire questions were rated one a 1 to 5 scale. The average scores were higher on the posttest compared to the pretest (63.2% vs. 69.1%, p = 0.03). The methodology scores were higher on the posttest (74.3% vs. 88.2%, p = 0.001), while the use scores remained the same at 78.1% vs. 75.0%. Our Web-based teaching tool is an effective way to train nurses to understand the APACHE III medical system. The tool was effective at conveying the APACHE III medical systems methodology but was not effective in explaining the usefulness of the system. Most important, the nurses thought the browser-based teaching tool was easily accessible and an effective way to communicate new material to the medical staff.

Author information

Author/s: Sery-Ble, O R (OR); Taffe, E R (ER); Clarke, A W (AW); Dorman, T (T);

Affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine of Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Evaluation Studies; Journal Article

Journal: Computers in nursing (Comput Nurs), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: -2001 Mar-Apr; vol 19 (issue 2) : pp 82-6

Dates: Created 2001/03/30; Completed 2001/04/26; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 11280152, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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