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. 2021 Aug 21;8(4):477–485. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2021.08.004

Table 2.

Characteristics of qualitative studies included in this review.

Author, year, Location Study aim Sample size Methods and data analysis Outcome
Hsu et al., 2018 [25]
Taiwan, China		 To investigate the views of students who received smartphones with an installed app for mobile learning. 16 nursing students In-depth interviews, followed by thematic coding
  • 1

    Mobile app promoted transferability of the nursing students’ knowledge and past experience. With the help of the app, teachers could offer timely guidance to the students.

  • 2

    Five themes of the study were as fellow: App’s physical assessment scenarios are very close to real-life clinical situations; Watching physical assessment videos over the app is a quick way to learn what to do; App is a new way of learning; Some nursing students felt it was out of their depth to analyze the scenarios in the app; App needs enhancements in stability and interactivity.
Wu, 2014 [26]
Taiwan, China		 To investigate students’ views on mobile learning. 36 fourth-year nursing students In-depth interviews, followed by thematic coding Students showed positive attitudes toward mobile learning
Willemse, 2014 [27]
South Africa		 To investigate students’ views on WhatsApp use. 21 undergraduate nursing students In-depth interviews, followed by thematic coding Seven themes were identified that included: Positive experiences using the WhatsApp; Usefulness; The availability of resources for test preparation; Opportunity for clarification; Anonymity; Exclusion of students as a result of the lack of an appropriate device; Short battery life.
Beauregard et al., 2017 [28]
USA		 To explore nursing students’ perceptions of using smartphones. 8 undergraduate and graduate nursing students Individual semi-structured interviews. An inductive approach described by Elo and Kyngäs was used for data analysis Students describe unclear expectations regarding the use of smartphones that force them to adopt individualized strategies to maintain their professional image and avoid negative consequences
George et al., 2017 [29]
USA		 To evaluate the students’ experience of implementing point-of-care (POC) smartphone applications. pre-licensure first-semester nursing students (sample size not provided) Open-ended survey questions Students feel that the smartphone app is useful and convenient.