The use of smart glasses in nursing education: A scoping review

AimThe aim of this scoping review was to give an overview of the usability and feasibility of smart glasses in nursing education. In addition, this study will highlight nursing students’ experiences of using smart glasses in learning situations.BackgroundHealthcare is becoming increasingly complex and technological and so is nursing education. Technology enhanced learning aims to enhance the teaching-learning process through use of technology, for example through smart glasses.Design and methodsA literature review using a scoping review methodology was conducted. Qualitative content analysis was performed to analyse data. 14 references were included in the analysis. References were found using the databases PubMed, SCOPUS and ERIC.ResultsThe analysis resulted in three categories; (1) Situations in which smart glasses have been used in nursing education, (2) Learning experiences from using smart glasses in nursing education, and (3) User experiences from using smart glasses in nursing education. Smart glasses were used in different learning situations and were in general positively evaluated by nursing students. Although, drawbacks of using smart glasses were noted which could negatively effect student learning.ConclusionsSmart glasses have been used in a variety of learning situations in nursing education and enabled new learning situations. Students found smart glasses beneficial for their learning and smart glasses motivated and engaged students in the learning situation. Although, this was both user- and situation dependent. Technical issues could cause students to lose focus and there is need for technical support to facilitate the learning curve. By learning from others’ experiences unnecessary drawbacks can be avoided.