Effects of smartphone application education combined with hands-on practice in breast self-examination on junior nursing students in South Korea

Background: Breast self-examination is a convenient and effective way to detect breast abnormalities. Based on Dale's Cone of Experience theory, we hypothesized that the combination of a smartphone application with hands-on practice would have a greater impact than using a smartphone application alone. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of different educational methods on (a) knowledge, (b) attitudes, (c) skills, and (d) students' satisfaction with the learning methods. Methods: We conducted a pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design and developed a smartphone application using a video clip. One experimental group received smartphone-based education, another group received smartphone-based education combined with hands-on practice, and the control group received a one-time classroom lecture. We administered a pre-test, provided intervention, and conducted a post-test. Results: Among the three groups, the knowledge and attitude of the experimental groups were significantly higher than that of the control group. In addition, the group using the combination of the smartphone application and hands-on practice showed the highest score changes in skills and satisfaction with the learning methods. Conclusions: Smartphone application use combined with hands-on practice could be an effective education method for breast self-examination.