# EVENS (Evaluation Nursing Students): A Mobile Application to Enhance Nursing Students’ Clinical Competence and Self-Efficacy—A Quasi-Experimental Study

## TL;DR

A mobile app called EVENS was tested to improve nursing students' clinical skills and confidence during practicums, but it did not significantly affect the outcomes.

## Contribution

The study evaluates the effectiveness of a mobile application in enhancing nursing students' clinical competence and self-efficacy.

## Key findings

- No statistically significant differences were found in clinical competence or self-efficacy between the intervention and control groups.
- Tutors rated the EVENS application's usability as 3.8 out of 5, indicating moderate acceptance.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Evaluation of students in practicums is essential in their training process. Mobile technologies enable formative assessments in training, enhance feedback, and improve students’ clinical competence and self-efficacy. Nevertheless, in the absence of previous evidence, their effects on clinical learning must be evaluated with rigor and caution. We aimed to evaluate the improvement in nursing students’ clinical competence and self-efficacy during their clinical practicums using the Evaluation Nursing Student (EVENS) application. Methods: A quasi-experimental design with non-equivalent control and intervention groups was adopted. Participants were not randomly assigned. The inclusion criterion was enrolment for the Supervised Practicum II course in the Nursing degree course at University X. Students agreeing to use the EVENS application during their Supervised Practicum II were assigned to the intervention group. The primary outcomes were student competence and self-efficacy, and the secondary outcome was the usability of the application. The analysis included a comparison of the pre- and post-intervention means of the intervention and control groups using Student’s t-tests. Results: One hundred and forty-nine mostly female (n = 137, 91.9%) students participated in the study. Forty-eight were assigned to the intervention group and 101 to the control group. No statistically significant differences regarding clinical competence or self-efficacy were found between the groups. Tutors rated the application’s usability with an average of 3.8 out of 5. Conclusions: The use of the EVENS application did not improve the primary outcomes. Although it was positively received by tutors as supportive of their role in training students engaged in clinical practicums.