Creation and Online Use of Patient-Centered Videos, Digital Storytelling, and Interactive Self-testing Questions for Teaching Pathophysiology.

BACKGROUND: Nursing students need to not only understand the pathophysiological basis of disease but also acquire insight into its effects on patients and their families.

PURPOSE: Digital storytelling was used to engage students in self-directed, online learning, allowing them to identify with patients dealing with disease and its consequences.

METHODS: Scripts were written and videos created that simulated patient experiences with select diseases of the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems as well as diabetes. Videos plus online self-testing questions were provided to nursing students studying pathophysiology and student outcomes on summative examinations compared before and after introduction of the videos.

RESULTS: Students had improved outcomes on summative examination questions that targeted diseases addressed in the video modules.

CONCLUSIONS: Digital storytelling is an effective way to portray illness from a patient perspective, and the addition of this approach to pathophysiology instruction can benefit student learning.