Usefulness of Off-the-Job Training using mobile device for staff education on hemodialysis

Abstract

At the hospital where dialysis patients are cared for, there is a need for information sharing between dialysis nurses and ward nurses with respect to expertise of dialysis. Using a mobile terminal, we devised a program for hospital workshops and self-learning modules. We compared this program with the conventional Off-the-Job Training (Off-JT). The subjects were 21 ward nurses and a survey by questionnaire was used to evaluate the program. According to the post-implementation survey, the ward nurses reported that they had more exposure to dialysis information and were able to deepen their knowledge. In addition, an improvement of learning motivation was also observed. Off-JT with mobile terminals has many advantages such as it being browser-free, providing on-going access any time a question arises, and having a chat function which provides precise answers and easy exchange of opinions. Based on this study, it has been shown that Off-JT using mobile terminals is useful not only for knowledge acquisition on dialysis but also as an educational tool for other inpatient care.