Nursing Students' Perceptions of Smartphone Use in the Clinical Care and Safety of Hospitalised Patients

Barriers to accessing and utilising under-five primary health care services in Vhembe District

BACKGROUND

 Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region with the highest under-five mortality rate globally, with 74 deaths per 1000 live births. Even though under-five child primary health care (PHC) services are free in South Africa, accessing such services remains challenging. Children under 5 years reportedly die from common illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria, which are treatable in PHC facilities.

AIM

 The study explored the barriers to accessing and utilising under-five PHC services in the Vhembe District.

SETTING

 The study was conducted in two PHC centres in Vhembe District among guardians accessing care for under-five child health services.

METHODS

 An interpretative phenomenology design was followed using a semi-structured individual interview guide. Sixteen participants were purposively sampled for the study. Colaizzi's steps of data analysis were followed, and trustworthiness as well as ethical principles were ensured throughout the study.

RESULTS

 Four themes emerged as health system barriers, health personnel-related behaviours, health facility infrastructure barriers and guardians-related barriers. Subthemes emerged as distance from the facility, lack of resources, long waiting times; poor time management, lack of commitment and work devotion, insufficient waiting space; challenges with water and sanitation, guardians' healthcare beliefs and the urgency of the illness.

CONCLUSION

 It is imperative that an enabling professional and friendly environment is created to facilitate better access to PHC services for children under 5 years.Contribution: The study's findings brought insight into considering the context of the guardians in improving quality care for under 5 years.

The effect of educational application in nursing internship clinical training on cognitive and functional skills and students' satisfaction

BACKGROUND

Clinical education plays an essential role in shaping the nursing identity and is one of the central elements in the education of nursing students. Today, with the advancement of novel technologies, utilizing mobile phone-based technologies in the education of medical sciences is inevitable. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the impact of the urology educational application on nursing students' cognitive-functional criteria and satisfaction during the internship period.

METHODS

This experimental educational intervention study was conducted during nursing students' urology internship course at Shahid Beheshti School of Nursing and Midwifery in Rasht. The data collection tools included a demographic characteristics questionnaire, cognitive skills scale, functional skills scale, and satisfaction scale (Stokes, 2001). The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16, and a significance level was set at 0.05.

RESULTS

Out of 48 studied students, 28 (58.3%) were males. The mean age of the students was 20.34 (SD = 1.51) years. In the application group, the mean of students' cognitive skills after the intervention significantly increased by 2.33 units (95% CI: 1.73 to 2.9) (t(23) = 7.97, P < 0.001, d = 1.626). By controlling the scores before the intervention, the adjusted mean score of cognitive skills in the application group was 0.56 units (95% CI: -0.16 to 1.28) higher than the traditional group; however, this difference was not statistically significant (F(1, 45) = 2.42, P = 0.127, η2p = 0.051). There was no statistically significant difference between the mean score of students' functional skills in traditional and application groups (t(46) = 0.63, P = 0.532, d = 0.184). The total mean score of satisfaction with education in the application group was 83.0 (SD: 10.7). According to the values ​​of the quartiles, 75% of the students scored higher than 75.9, 50% scored higher than 83.9, and 25% scored higher than 91.1.

CONCLUSION

According to the results of this study, students' scores of functional and cognitive assessment and satisfaction with the application in urology clinical training were reported as favorable. Therefore, it is recommended that mobile phone-based technologies be used in students' clinical education and internships in combination with the traditional method.

Nomophobia and Phubbing Levels of Nursing Students: A Multicenter Study

Today, with the enhancement in the usage of smartphones, the concepts of nomophobia and phubbing have emerged. Nomophobia refers to the fear of being deprived of smartphones/smart devices. Phubbing is the use of a person's smartphone in situations that are not appropriate for the situation, time, and place. Therefore, the study purposed to evaluate nursing students' nomophobia and phubbing scores in Turkey, Portugal, and the United States. The data were collected with the Personal Information Questionnaire, Nomophobia Scale, and Phubbing Scale from N = 446 nursing students. The mean age of the students was 22.04 ± 4.08 years, and 86.5% were women. It was found that the total nomophobia scores of the nursing students were 80.15 ± 21.96, 72.29 ± 28.09, and 99.65 ± 6.11, respectively in Turkey, Portugal, and the United States. When the countries' Nomophobia Scale total scores, "giving up convenience," "not being able to communicate," and "losing connectedness" scores were compared with each other, they were found to be statistically significant (P < .05). When the countries' Phubbing Scale total scores and all subscale scores were compared with each other were found to be statistically significant (P < .05). It is seen that nomophobia scores were moderate (60 ≤ NMP-Q nomophobia ≤ 99) and phubbing scores (<40) were below the level indicating addiction in all countries.

Effect of Mobile Phone Use on Musculoskeletal Complaints: Insights From Nursing Students at Northern Border University, Arar, Saudi Arabia

Introduction Smartphones are widely utilized by individuals on a daily basis for a variety of activities, including communication, web browsing, and gaming. However, the excessive and prolonged use of these devices often leads to adverse effects on musculoskeletal health. This study aimed to assess the effect of mobile phone use on musculoskeletal complaints among nursing students at Northern Border University. Methods An analytical descriptive study was conducted using a convenience sample of 202 nursing students recruited via a Google survey questionnaire. The questionnaire comprised four sections concerning the students' demographics, smartphone data collection tools, the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS-SV), and the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire (NMQ). Results Among the study participants, 62.6% were females, with 52.4% spending more than 5 hours daily on media and technology usage, often extending into bedtime. In the last 12 months, neck pain was the most prevalent complaint, reported by 38.8% of the participants, followed by shoulder pain experienced by 20.3% of the sample. Notably, female students displayed a significantly higher incidence of musculoskeletal pain, with rates as high as 81.7% showing statistical significance (p<0.001). A significant association was also observed between mobile phone addiction and academic grade, as well as the time spent on media and technology usage daily (p<0.001). Conclusions There is a significant association between mobile phone use and discomfort in the musculoskeletal system, particularly in the neck region. Moreover, female students tend to experience more pronounced musculoskeletal discomfort compared to their male counterparts. The study also suggests that extended usage of mobile phones, especially at bedtime, increases the likelihood of experiencing musculoskeletal discomfort.

From hashtags to headaches: The risks of social media use for nurses

ABSTRACT

A 2022 incident involving a group of labor and delivery nurses who posted a social media video criticizing patients has put a spotlight on the importance of maintaining professional conduct on social media. This article outlines the risks of social media use among nurses, the possible consequences of social media misuse, and the benefits of providing social media guidance in nursing curricula.