Social media: How far to reach?

Rural patients and caregivers have limited access to health care and to information and classes regarding their own disease progress, and also to specialists and support groups all of which would enhance their knowledge and quality of life.  In addition, these areas lack a breadth of health care providers that can be easily accessed, due to lack of transportation and distance concerns.  These patients and caregivers are now looking to on-line resources to provide answers.  But as we have learned in class, are these necessarily of a quality that we want to have our patients utilizing, do they truly educate on disease and processes, are they private and protect the patient's identity, if they wish.  Social media is being used with increasing frequency to advertise, educate and also provide real-time communication with patients and their caregivers.  The program explored in this article provided a set patient scenario which was taken through several different modalities to discover methods to overcome barriers and increase education and support to patients.  These modalities included EHR (electronic health records), telemedicine, social media and clinical decision support.

The standardized patient was one that was being discharge with right sided weakness and slurred speech after a stroke.  The patient and caregiver were interviewed regarding health care resources and technology available to them (online resources).  These resources were used as part of the plan during the modules.  Social media was one module and that became further separated into interactive networks ( Facebook, twitter, webinars, and chats), websites for education and further care information, and static networks (YouTube, Podcast).  The doctoral students were to research these areas on the Internet for viable resources for the patient in the scenario.  The students were able to provide viable examples of each type of social media that could be accessed by the patient and the caregiver.  There was care taken to insure that any information posted was protected for privacy. 

There were some concerns regarding the use of on-line technology.  Obviously, access was limited in some areas due to Broadband capabilities.  The students were able to trouble shoot some methods of access such as use of libraries, community centers and relatives for increased access.  They also recognized the need for education on appropriateness of Internet resources and also teaching regarding use of the social media resources in order to protect their privacy.  Literacy challenges were also supported through link to video and audio information.

Overall this article was very informative, not in the presentation of new information on technology, but the varying uses of technology and how, as educators and nurses, we can think out of the box to use every available resource to support our patients and their caregivers.  Once again, nurses must step up to the forefront and be advocates for patients, to support them where they are and to encourage the best care of the patient, even while broadening their own horizons regarding technology and health care.


Rutledge, C., Renaud, M., Shepard, L., et al. (2011).  Educating Advanced Practice nurses in using social media in rural health care.  International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship 8(1), 1-14.

On-line learning opens doors

In this new age of nursing, nurses and nurse specialists who wish to remain current in their knowledge and advance their degrees are looking at new technologically superior resources such as on-line learning to advance their knowledge.  Nurses today must be able to manage information technology and technology that advances equipment and resources on one hand, paired with advanced critical thinking skills to use in patient care.  With a shortage of nurses, many nurses are unable to spend time away in the clinical setting to update knowledge and skills, so on-line learning that is accessible, affordable and flexible is a boon to nurses.  But is knowledge learned on-line as effective and integrated as what is learned through more traditional methods - in classrooms and at the bedside? 

This article explores the idea that traditional learning in the classroom may not be as up-to-date and current as knowledge accessed from the Internet, or programs developed on-line where learners are required to research and provide answers.  (Much like the present class that I am taking on technology in nursing!)  On-line learning moves the educator into a role of facilitating learning, not the sage in front of the classroom.  Personally I feel that this type of learning is truly remarkable.  The dialogue between classmates regarding various practices with the instructor bringing the every day subjects back to the realm of education has been inspiring to me.  I feel that we can truly learn best from our peers and from sharing experiences, which is supported by the article.  Students learn the best and assimilate that knowledge when they can find their own "teachable" moments and can work at their own pace.  If a goal is set in mind and the student is encouraged to reach that goal, they can truly be in charge of how to learn, with resources provided.  What forward thinking!! 

Nurses critical thinking skills are put to the test every moment of the day.  This type of teaching allows them to further practice their judgment and critical thinking skills and promotes conceptual changes in their care of patients and in the way that they utilize the knowledge that they have.  Something that is now explored in the article, but of curiosity to me is the concept that as more nurses advance their education in post-graduate study, does that influence the practices of those nurses around them?  I know that I am excited by information that I learn in class, and share some ideas with my fellow nurses, hoping to influence their ideas and practices.  Might be something that I look into further!


Bromley, P. (2010). Online learning: anywhere anytime education for specialist nurse, Neonatal, Paediatric and Child Health Nursing 13(3), 2-6.

Let the Games Begin!

Simulation as a learning tool is a new and technologically sophisticated method of teaching nursing students.  Simulation gaming is a method that uses previous learning to react to a variety of different situations to promote deeper learning, while attempting to reach specified goals.  Students compete against one another for scores while attempting to respond to the scenarios is the best possible way.  One of the best accolades of this method is the fact that in a simulation, a patient cannot be put at risk, so the nursing students are encouraged to try many different responses to find the best solution.

There has been much debate about whether simulation games are truly educational at the levels of higher education, or just entertainment.  But with the increase in experiential learning, traditional methods of nursing education have been challenged and methods that can incorporate students coming together to problem solve, and include reflection (oh no, more reflection!) on the experience are worthwhile methods of learning in nursing education.  Although it has been my Achilles heal, reflection does play an important part in nursing education today.  Without reflection of the players, the game is not education, just a "dog-eat-dog" method of getting a result.  Reflection brings in the aspects of adult education, for example in allowing the learner to create their own meaning through interaction with an environment.  The reflection of the students on the activity and the critical feedback that is given by the facilitator of the simulation game is essential for the student to develop and grow their knowledge base, skills and attitudes. 

There are some downfalls to simulation gaming.  It is difficult to discern the individual student's knowledge as most of the time simulation is a group activity.  Debriefing allows the most meaningful impact to the students, but staff must be skilled in debriefing the exercise in order for it to be effective.  There is also a concern that simulation gaming is an expensive undertaking:  simulation equipment and set up is expensive and maintenance of the technology requires staff with skills in programing and game codes to maintain different scenarios, which can also be expensive.  But these obstacles can be overcome to provide a simulation that allows the students to use this technology effectively.

So, overall simulation gaming is a method of learning that is highly interactive, with students gaining knowledge through different situational interactions and by debriefing these situations with a facilitator.  It is my hope that these virtual reality scenarios don't allow the students to "depersonalize" their actual care that their patients receive - after all, caring is one of the hallmarks of nursing. 

Peddle, M. (2011). Simulation gaming in nurse education; entertainment or learning? Nurse    Education Today 31, 647-649.