An Electronic-based Simulator for Intramuscular Injection in Newborns

Abstract

Injection is an essential skill for nurses. In nurse education, simulators assist learning of nursing students. There are various types of simulators for practicing intramuscular injections in neonates. However, cost, time, and ability to provide formative feedback to learners remain issues in many simulators for nursing education. Intramuscular injection in a newborn is significantly different from other ages and simulator for this purpose is lacking.
Methods: This pilot study aims to present the design and development of an electronic simulator as an instructional tool for a nursing student to practicing newborns’ intramuscular injection and to examine its effectiveness.
Results: An electronic-based simulator for a newborn’s intramuscular injection was designed and developed. The simulator contains three parts: 1) a manikin with an injection area that is made of soft silicone; 2) a box of an electrical circuit, and 3) an injection kit. By using a semi-structured interview technique, we show that the developed simulator is helpful for learning injection skill due to feedback of formative assessment.
Conclusion: The proposed electronic-based simulator is a prototype of an instructional tool for a nursing student to practicing newborns’ intramuscular injection. However, based on the user comments and suggestions, the weight of the proposed simulator, its safety, and its pattern in giving feedback are needed to be improved in future studies.