MOBILE TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM PROVIDING CONTINUOUS EDUCATION

Background: Research regarding e-learning has shown mostly positive results among nurses with benefits like flexibility to learner and repetition whenever desired. In fact, e-learning can replace classroom training, as instructor centered falls prey to the challenges of scheduling a place and time to conduct the class and is more expensive to deliver overall. In critical care settings, the working professionals can't spare much time for furthering their class room training. Current trend in asynchronous learning is through M-Learning. In India, we have rules for renewal of nursing licenses differing from state to state, minimum of 30 hours per year to 75 hours per year. This prompted us to study the utilization of M-Learning as a mode of content delivery and conducting monitored assessment among Critical care nurses. Aim: To study the effectiveness of teaching on mobile based platforms versus regular classrooms. Methodology: 335 nurses from Intensive Care Units who owned smartphones were included as sample. Connectivity on a mobile platform, was using their personal network, as data is available at comfortable price. As a pilot study, “hand hygiene” related topic, was circulated among them through Whatsapp, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube. A post-training questionnaire was circulated to understand their experience and perception. Results: Of the 335 nurses participated in the study, 89% were females, 11% were males, between 18 to 40 years. 159 spend between 1-3 hours in a day on mobile, whereas 50 people spend less than 1 hour in day. 87% of the participants showed positive Behavior intention towards using devices for learning. We can reduce on-the job training costs for critical care nurses.