Page 258 - International Perspectives on Effective Teaching and Learning in Digital Education

Mateja Lorber, Lucija Gosak, Gregor Štiglic, and Adrijana Svenšek

health care providers, and ensure the continuity of care (Elkefi et al., 3;
Kariotis et al., ).

Methodology
The aim of the study was to gain insight into the perceptions and understand-
ing of first year students on a first cycle higher education nursing programme
regarding the use of ICT in nursing. We focused on identifying the strengths
and weaknesses that students perceived in the use of ICT in nursing and on
identifying concrete examples of technologies used in nursing practice. This
was done to assess the level of students’ awareness and knowledge in this area.
We used a questionnaire with two open-ended questions ‘What are the ad-
vantages and disadvantages of using ICT in nursing?’ and ‘Examples of ICT in
nursing?’ using the digital tool Mentimeter.
As part of a lesson or lecture, students were introduced to Mentimeter,
where they entered their answers to the question using their smart devices
(phones, tablets, or computers). The answers students entered were anony-
mous, which helped to keep their answers relaxed and honest. We received 71
responses to the question in which students identified advantages of using
information and communication technologies, while 56 students identified
disadvantages. The data was then stored and analysed. For the first question,
‘What are the advantages and disadvantages of using ICT in nursing?’, a qual-
itative data analysis method was used.
The students’ responses were coded and grouped into categories accord-
ing to similarities in content. In this way, key categories were identified that
reflected their views on the advantages and disadvantages of using ICT in
nursing.
For the second question, ‘Examples of ICT in nursing’, we used a data vis-
ualisation approach using a cloud presentation. We received 16 student
responses. This showed the frequency and variety of examples used, which
allowed us to identify the most frequently mentioned technologies and tools
that students identified as being used in healthcare.

Results
We have identified the following sub-categories as benefits of using ICT: (1)
Easier organisation of work; () Control over data; (3) Quality treatment for pa-
tients; (4) Access to data; and (5) Learning and gathering evidence-based in-
formation. The most commonly cited benefit was easier organisation of work,
as data is better organised and more accessible to all health professionals.
The use of digital technology also reduces paperwork. All of this contributes

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