Abstract
Background: Nursing students need to not only understand the pathophysiological basis of disease but also acquire insight into its effects on patients and their families.
Purpose: Digital storytelling was used to engage students in self-directed, online learning, allowing them to identify with patients dealing with disease and its consequences.
Methods: Scripts were written and videos created that simulated patient experiences with select diseases of the gastrointestinal and respiratory systems as well as diabetes. Videos plus online self-testing questions were provided to nursing students studying pathophysiology and student outcomes on summative examinations compared before and after introduction of the videos.
Results: Students had improved outcomes on summative examination questions that targeted diseases addressed in the video modules.
Conclusions: Digital storytelling is an effective way to portray illness from a patient perspective, and the addition of this approach to pathophysiology instruction can benefit student learning.