Digital Microlearning for Patient-Safety Readiness in Nursing Students

This randomized controlled trial evaluated whether a seven-day, patient-safety-focused digital microlearning program improved sustained clinical error recognition and the transfer of safety learning among second-year nursing students entering surgical clinical practice. Ninety students were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to digital microlearning plus standard education or standard education alone. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, immediately after the intervention, at the end of the first week of surgical clinical practice, and at the end of the seventh week of surgical clinical practice. Weekly ecological momentary assessment prompts examined safety-oriented behavior during clinical practice. Blinded performance tasks assessed objective clinical transfer, and an explanatory qualitative component explored how and under what conditions students applied the learning in practice.