title: Mobile Virtual Learning Object for the Assessment of Acute Pain as a Learning Tool to Assess Acute Pain in Nursing: An Analysis of the Mental Workload.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The inclusion of new technologies in education has motivated the development of studies on mental workload. These technologies are now being used in the teaching and learning process. The analysis enables identification of factors intervening in this workload as well as planning of overload prevention for educational activities using these technologies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the mental workload of an educational intervention with the Mobile Virtual Learning Object for the Assessment of Acute Pain in adults and newborns, according to the NASA Task Load Index criteria.
  
  
  METHODS
  A methodological study with data collected from 5 nurses and 75 students, from November of 2013 to February of 2014.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highest students' and specialists' means were in the dimensions of "Mental demand" (57.20 ± 22.27; 51 ± 29.45) and "Performance" (58.47 ± 24.19; 73 ± 28.85). The specialists' mental workload index was higher (50.20 ± 7.28) when compared with students' (47.87 ± 16.85) on a scale from 0 to 100 (P=.557).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The instrument allowed for the assessment of mental workload after an online educational intervention with a mobile learning virtual object. An excessive overload was not identified among participants. Assessing mental workload from the use of educational technologies at the end of a task is a key to their applicability, with the aim of providing a more effective, stimulating, and long-lasting experience of the learning process.
authors.affiliation: Science Health Center, Department of Nursing, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil. grazielaalvarez@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ana Graziela
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3943-9884
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: Grace
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7702-1190
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sasso
authors.forename: Sriram
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7242-430X
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iyengar
keywords: acute pain; computer-assisted instruction; distance learning; educational technology; mental workload; nursing; nursing education; nursing informatics; persuasive technology