Comparative study of virtual and traditional teaching methods on the interpretation of cardiac dysrhythmia in nursing students

INTRODUCTION: Due to the importance of correct interpretation of electrocardiogram (ECG) in the quality of healthcare delivery, new educational methods are increasingly being implemented and evaluated. In this regard, the purpose of this study was to compare the traditional and virtual teaching methods on the interpretation of cardiac dysrhythmia in nursing students. METHODS: The present study is a quasi-experimental research with pretest and posttest design. Sixty nursing students in the seventh semester from schools of nursing in Urmia and Khoy cities were randomly assigned to two virtual and traditional education groups. Students’ knowledge was measured by a researcher-made 30-item test. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of the students’ scores in the traditional education group was 11.20 ± 4.41 and 14.40 ± 4.62 and in the virtual group was 11.30 ± 2.74 and 18.43 ± 4.68, pre- and post-training, respectively. Paired t-test showed a significant difference between the mean score of pretest and posttest in both types of training (P < 0.001). According to the results of independent sample t-test, there were no significant differences between the two groups before the training (P > 0.05). However, in the posttraining period, there were significant differences between traditional and virtual education groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Considering the results of this study, which shows the positive effects of virtual education method on nursing students’ knowledge about cardiac dysrhythmia, this method can be used as an alternative or complementary method to the traditional education.