Martina Costello

Despite university-based training and an emphasises on evidence-based practice, nursing students often struggle to engage with academic literature and understand the application of research within clinical practice. Traditional teaching methods frequently fall short in engaging students, while time constraints further limit student capacity to explore research literature.

This presentation will describe a study which examined the impact of research-focused podcasts across undergraduate and postgraduate nursing programmes. Podcast episodes were developed by nurse academics using Generative AI tools to correlate with each module of study within an undergraduate and postgraduate mental health unit. Episodes covered diverse topics such as recovery orientated care within acute mental health settings, the physical healthcare needs of individuals living with mental illness and strategies to improve assessment and communication. These podcasts reviewed research articles and concepts to promote research literacy and evidence-based practice principles.

Quantitative data were collected using the validated Student Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire (S-EBPQ) measuring four key domains: practice, attitudes, retrieving and reviewing evidence and sharing and applying evidence-based practice.

Pre-intervention data analysis from 117 nursing students revealed insights into their perception of research literacy and application of evidence-based practice. Survey results identified that students scored highest in the attitudes domain (M = 5.71), indicating positive perception towards research and lowest in retrieving and reviewing evidence domain (M = 4.76), revealing a gap in practical research skills.

The study demonstrates how emerging digital technologies can be utilised to develop educational resources within nursing education. Audio podcasts provide accessible expert modelling of research interpretation and scaffolded discussion on research literacy. The use of Generative AI tools in the development process provided quality control and scalability.

This presentation will benefit nurse educators and researchers, providing innovating strategies in developing technology-enhanced learning resources. The findings provide valuable insights into developing research literacy within nursing education using accessible and asynchronous modalities.