Mobile applications in nursing science education: A scoping review with snowballing method.

OBJECTIVES: To review the available evidence on the use and effectiveness of mobile applications to assist nursing students in comprehending, utilising, and applying specialised language and knowledge terminologies when learning the language of biosciences.

DESIGN: A scoping review.

DATA SOURCES: The databases CINAHL Complete, ERIC, EMCare, MEDLINE, PubMed, the OVID scholarly interface and the web search engine Google Scholar were searched.

REVIEW METHODS: Peer-reviewed literature published in English during the period 2010-2023 was reviewed. Snowballing methods saw the reference lists of all included articles searched, and a secondary search of the Scopus ranked top ten nursing journals. Articles were included if they reported on any app or digital resource used when teaching undergraduate nursing students biosciences/science language skills, concepts, or terminology. Studies were excluded if the participants were non-nursing student cohorts or content did not meet the inclusion criteria.

RESULTS: Mobile applications generally contribute positively to nursing students' education. These applications are deemed valuable tools, offering structured content in easily digestible formats. Some applications also foster teamwork and collaboration during clinical placements, promoting peer learning, and a sense of community. User internet access and preparation for learning were the only noted barriers. A range of science-based concepts were taught using applications, including diabetes mellitus, medical terminology, asthma, and cardiac conditions. Despite the promise shown by using mobile applications to teach nurse sciences, few are dedicated to bioscience language and scientific terminology. Recognising the challenging nature of teaching these concepts, developing specialised applications could substantially improve the educational experience for nursing students.

CONCLUSION: Nurse educators are encouraged to teach with applications given their reported effectiveness in knowledge gains for students learning science concepts. Rigorous interventional study designs are warranted to extend suggestions that using applications enhances student understanding of challenging scientific concepts and support quality in clinical learning.