Development of a Sensor-Enabled Arm Simulator and Its Effects on Nursing Students’ Learning of Intravenous Infusion Skills

Abstract

This research and development study aimed to: 1) develop a sensor-enabled arm simulator for intravenous infusion practice among nursing students, and 2) examine the effects of using the simulator on perceived learning of intravenous infusion skills and self-awareness. The study was conducted in three phases: Phase 1 involved a review of relevant information, prototype design and development, and evaluation by three experts; Phase 2 comprised pilot testing and prototype refinement; and Phase 3 employed a two-group pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design. The participants were 118 second-year nursing students, equally assigned to an experimental group and a control group, with 59 students in each group. The experimental group practiced using the sensor-enabled arm simulator, whereas the control group received the comparison training condition. Data were collected using a five-point rating-scale questionnaire covering simulator characteristics, perceived learning, and self-awareness. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Welch’s independent-samples t-test.

The developed simulator consisted of an arm structure, flexible skin, a simulated vascular and fluid system, and a sensor system that provided immediate feedback for correct needle insertion, incorrect placement, and vessel penetration. The item-objective congruence indices ranged from 0.67 to 1.00, with an overall mean of 0.87. At pretest, the mean scores of the experimental and control groups were not significantly different (M=4.05, SD=0.64 and M=3.99, SD=0.64, respectively; p=.632). At posttest, the experimental group had a significantly higher mean score than the control group (M=4.49, SD=0.52 and M=4.18, SD=0.64, respectively; mean difference=0.32, 95% CI 0.10–0.53, p=.005). However, the between-group difference in change scores was not statistically significant (p=.095). Item-level analyses showed significant differences in sensor feedback, durability, ease of use, support for self-assessment, and overall suitability as a learning resource.

The sensor-enabled arm simulator was suitable for supporting nursing students’ learning and self-assessment. However, as the outcomes were based on students’ perceptions, future studies should incorporate objective assessments of clinical performance.