title: Heart sound simulation: how useful for critical care nurses?
abstract: Forty critical care nurses participated in a 2-hour teaching program using a heart sound simulator to increase skill in recognition of heart sounds. Mean test scores increased 10 points from the pretest to the first posttest (t = 11.9, p = 0.0001), and this increase was maintained on the second posttest 3 weeks later. Medical intensive care unit and coronary care nurses scored higher than the other critical care nurses. There was a low correlation between recognition of sounds and years of critical care experience. The correlation between the subjects' self-rating of knowledge of heart sounds and their actual skills was also low. These findings suggest that a similar teaching program might be useful for critical care nurses.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-7460.
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Harrell
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Champagne
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jarr
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyaya
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000451:nursing; D003422:Critical Care; D004509:Education, Nursing, Continuing; D005260:Female; D006326:Heart Auscultation; D006347:Heart Sounds; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged