The Impact of Brief Text Messages on Critical Care Nurses’ Ability to Interpret Arrhythmia: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: A lack of electrocardiogram (ECG) interpretation competency could threaten patient safety, and there is an urgent need to improve nurses’ abilities to identify life-threatening arrhythmias. Aim: To check the hypothesis that Coronary Care Units (CCUs) nurses who received Short Message Service (SMS) data concerning irregular cardiac rhythms can better interpret cardiac arrhythmias than the control group. Methods: WhatsApp messages were sent to the intervention group two times a week for 10 weeks. At the baseline line, the test was given to both groups, while reassessment was done on the same day as the last WhatsApp SMS. Results: The intervention score increased after receiving SMS messages compared to the control group (M[SD]; 16.60 ± 2.23 vs. 11.40 ± 3.10, t=10.40, p <0.001). Implications for Nursing: Text messaging is a cost-effective, time-saving, and practical tool of mobile learning and enhance nurses’ ECG interpretation skills. Conclusion: The study demonstrated that sending SMS messages using WhatsApp is practical and useful for improving nurses’ cardiac arrhythmia interpretation skills. Clinical Trial Study Registration Number: NCT 05419554. © 2023 The Author(s).