An experimental study of students' self-learning of the San-Yin-Jiao pressure procedure using CD-ROM or printed materials.

A CD-ROM and printed material on San-Yin-Jiao pressure to lessen labor pain for women were developed as formal didactic instruction using the same content. A prospective, randomized, double-blind study was conducted to compare self-learning outcomes using the software and the printed materials. Eighty third-year student nurses were randomly allocated to either the CD-ROM group or printed material group. A test was administered after 1 week of study time. A p value of < .05 was considered statistically significant. Results showed no significant differences between the two groups in self-learning measures. Text-based learning seems to be a convenient educational method because it can be used at any time in any place. However, with more time and facilities available, CD-ROMs may be as effective as traditional learning methods and can be an alternative tool.