Comparison study of the effect of two conference and educational software methods of dysrhythmia stimulator on the level of knowledge of electrocardiograms interpretation in nurses

ECG interpretation in clinical situation has developed fgrom simple determination of rate and rhythm toward the diagnosis of complex arrhythmias، ischemia and myocardial infarction. Having enough knowledge and skills in this field is one of the essential competences for nurses، especially in intensive care units، which can be influenced by education circumstance and also regarding this; the survey of new educational methods for obtaining deep and effective learning of Electrocardiography seems necessary. The aim of this study was to determinate the effect of educational software of dysrhythmia simulator on ECG interpretation''s knowledge among nurses who are working in intensive care units. This quasi-experimental study conducted with participation of 73 ICU and CCU nurses from two Seyedoshohada and Taleghani hospitals of Oroumiyeh that were randomly placed in two groups; intervention and control. Data were gathered by a researcher-made questionnaire، which verified their validity and reliability and was consisted of 15 theoretical questions and 25 dysrhythmia strips in the form of pretest-posttest design. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software and descriptive statistics (ver. 16). The mean and standard deviation of the nurses’ before and after scores، the group that used educational software of arrhythmia simulator method was 17. 21±2. 04 and 22. 15±3. 27 respectively، whereas it was 16. 77±4. 86 and 19. 13±5. 28 in the conference group، respectively. The Independent statistical T-test revealed a significant statistical difference between the post training scores in two groups (p=0/004). Also the comparison of average of scores in the form of intra- group with paired t-test revealed significant differences in before and after scores in every group (p<0/005). However، the mean difference between pre and post scores in the intervention group was higher. The use of educational software of dysrhythmia simulator causes more improvement of the knowledge of nurses in dysrhythmia interpretation field. According to the results of this study، the ease of using and availability of simulator software، and it''s application in wards can facilitate in-service training for staff، particularly nurses who are working in intensive care units and also enhance their knowledge and skills in the interpretation of electrocardiograms effectively.