Abstract

Purpose: Nurses have the responsibility to provide care that meets or exceeds professional standards. To meet these standards, nurses must keep up with the frequently changes within health care. The challenge is the rapid pace with which new information is developed. The purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the use of repetitive text messages to improve the retention of knowledge among clinical staff. Kolb's Experiential Learning Model (ELM) provided the framework for the study.

Method: This quantitative study used an experimental design. The participants attended a short class and completed a post-class exam. The subjects were then randomly placed into an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group received text messages for six days. Both groups then took the exam again. The study compared the change in scores between the two groups to determine the influence of text messages on the retention of information. The study also examined the influence of the level of education and the years of work experience.

Findings: The findings showed a statistically significant improvement in the scores of the participants who received text messages for six days. The study revealed no significant difference between the exam scores for the control group. The study also revealed a strong relationship between years of experience and retention of knowledge but no significant relationship between level of education and retention of knowledge.

Discussion: While further studies are needed, the implication of this study is text messages can be used to enhance retention of information. The use of text messages provide educators and managers another tool to help clinical staff remember critical information.

Publication Date

6-16-2017

Presented At:

12th Annual BHSF Research Conference

Content Type

Poster

Baptist Health South Florida Affiliations:

Judith Bowling, PhD, MHA, MSN, RN-BC

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