Effects of using audiovisual materials in gerontological nursing exercises

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of using audiovisual materials in gerontological nursing exercises.Sixty-five second year nursing students watched audiovisual materials of scenes of communication between simulated patients(SP) with functional difficulties and other nursing students, and then presented reports on this exercise. We analyzed the reportsof the nursing students, and we could determine several categories of description in their reports, which suggest that they couldperceive indescribable facial expressions of the SP and mutual communication by unspoken messages between the SP and students,and that they could understand the patients' nonverbal messages through the patient's expressions and reactions. Theseresults suggest that using audiovisual materials in gerontological nursing exercises is effective in helping nursing students todevelop a better understanding of the psychology of the elderly with functional difficulties.