Table 1.

Thematic extraction from podcast applications in nursing education.

Study	Purpose	Methods	Results
Theme 1: To obtain specialized knowledge and effectiveness of learning
Abate (36)/United States	Evaluation of the effectiveness of pharmacology courses by podcasts promoted knowledge retention and application in nursing students.	Design: This pilot study with a randomized controlled study	Students of the segmented podcast lecture group showed higher scores on multiple-choice and case-study assessments than those in the other two groups.
		Participants: A convenience sample of 35 female undergraduate nursing students were randomly assigned to one of three groups: traditional lecture (n = 12), unsegmented podcast lecture (n = 11), or segmented podcast lecture (n = 12).
		Intervention: The face-to-face lecture was about 90 min. The nonstop podcast lecture was just over 57 min. The segmented podcast lecture, just over 51 min long, consisted of three sections. Podcasting by computer or MP3.
Mostyn et al. (16)/United States	This study was to explore nursing students’ perceptions of the usefulness of supplementary biology podcasts.	Design: A mixed methods study	Students reported podcasts aided revision and helped promote understanding of course content 83 and 72%, respectively from the focus group participants who discussed finding podcasts especially useful in terms of revision.
		Participants: The first-year diploma/BSc nursing programmed students (n = 153) received Biological science podcasts supplementary learning tools and conducted two focus groups interview (n = 6)
		Intervention: Nine live biological science lectures were recorded by staff on each of the university teaching sites and podcasts were made available to students across both sites via WebCT.
Strickland et al. (30)/United Kingdom	Evaluation of the effectiveness of evidence-based nursing linked between the theoretical content and research in practice through podcasts.	Design: Not explicitly stated.	Total 77% of participants that they were easy to understand course content through podcast learning and increased student/tutor relationships leading to greater engagement.
		Participants: A convenience sample of two cohorts of students (cohort 1, n = 228; cohort 2, n = 233) from the Research and Evidence-Based Practice module were asked to evaluate the use of podcasts as part of the module evaluation process.
		Intervention: A series of five podcasts linked to the podcasting host service at appropriate times within the module content in WebCT. The students could subscribe to the podcast feed and have these podcasts delivered automatically to their mobile devices
Abedian et al. (31)/Iran	Evaluation of the effect applied the podcast on midwifery students to obtain knowledge and education on donor eggs.	Design: The quasi-experimental study design.	The mean scores of knowledge pre- and post-intervention podcast groups were greater than the workshop group.
		Participants: Sixty undergraduate midwifery students were s simply randomly allocated to a podcast intervention group and workshop group (n = 30 for each group).
		Intervention: podcast group received three separate 25-min audio files and discussed them in a Telegram-based group.
Theme 2: To raise comprehension and improve proficient clinical skills
Clay (37)/United Kingdom	Evaluation of the effectiveness that mobile devices applied whether learners’ learning motivation was increased and enhanced skills in clinical practice	Design: Not explicitly stated.	The results reported mobile learning afforded flexibility in the time and place of learning and captured their interest in the learning material.
		Participants: A convenience sampling recruited eight postgraduate midwives who attended the newborn infant physical examination modules.
		Intervention: A handheld mobile device (iPod) with several Reusable Learning Objects (RLO) content which was related to newborn infant physical examination to be used in the clinical setting.
Kardong-Edgren and Emerson (19)/United States	Evaluation of the effectiveness of podcast lectures was used and viewed by students	Design: A descriptive study design	The results showed podcasts of advantages that 82% of students deemed podcasts helped them to understand the subject matter better, 87% aided clarification concepts, and 85% helped to review for homework and examinations.
		Participants: Undergraduate nursing students (n = 210)
		Intervention: Students can listen to the lecture from their computers or download it to an iPod or MP3 player on three courses (pathophysiology, pharmacology, and acute and chronic illness in adults and childbearing)
McKinney and Page (29)/United Kingdom	An evaluated nursing students’ views on the variety of multimedia resources approach to facilitate the learning of pathophysiology.	Design: Not explicitly stated.	A total 89% of students deemed podcasts or vodcasts to improve their understanding of the pathophysiology. Additionally, using the podcast was convenient and flexible when students moved to other places.
		Participants: Using convenience sampling recruited students (n = 125) from the final year of the undergraduate nursing sciences program.
		Intervention: Making a vodcast or podcast was delivered to iPods, MP3 players, and personal computers in the Applied Biomedical Sciences module course.
Theme 3: To strengthen self-confidence and improve communication skills
McSwiggan and Campbell (42)/United Kingdom	To explore students’ experiences of using podcasts for assessment guidance and feedback.	Design: Exploratory qualitative study	The structured, logical approach of assessment guidance podcasts appeared to strengthen self-efficacy by providing readily accessible support and by helping students convert intentions into action.
		Participants: Purposive sampling recruited 18 third-year undergraduate nursing students.
		Intervention: Applying the self-efficacy theory illuminates students’ use of guidance and feedback podcasts.
Rogan and San Miguel (41)/Australia	To evaluate an innovation to assist nursing students with English as a second language (ESL) to develop their clinical communication skills and practice readiness by providing online learning resources, using podcast and vodcast technology.	Design: Action research approach	The results showed that the podcast teaching strategy improved their clinical preparation and confidence by increasing their understanding of expectations, clinical language, and communication skills to reach the standards required of nursing graduates and registration authorities.
		Participants: The first-year undergraduate nursing students (n = 376), ESL students comprised almost half of each cohort of study participants, primarily from China, Korea, Nepal, and Vietnam, most of whom did not complete high school in English
		Intervention: The clinical words with 200 audio records with associated images from online were converted to the podcast. Six vodcast scenarios of nurses communicating with patients and staff.
Theme 4: To provide a useful tool for lecture revision and strengthen supplementary perception
Meade et al. (28)/United Kingdom	To evaluate both the subjective (student perception) and objective (student use and exam results) usefulness of podcasts of pharmacology lectures.	Design: A cohort study	The results showed that 93% of students used podcasts to revisit a lecture, 85% used podcasts for revision, and 61% used podcasts when they had a specific question. The majority of students deemed podcasts helpful as a learning and revision tool to understand.
		Participants: Graduate nurse non-medical prescribing (n = 69)
		Intervention: Seven key pharmacology lectures were recorded to be divided up into bite-size chunks of lecture material, each containing one or two key concepts, and made available as podcasts to two cohorts of non-medical prescribing students.