ArticleBMC nursing2026
The impact of a brief digital abstinence intervention on digital distractions and time management among nursing students: a quasi-experimental study.
Article in BMC nursing, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07467057 (Reducing Digital Distractions to Improve Time Management Among Nursing Students), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Reducing Digital Distractions to Improve Time Management Among Nursing Students: A Quasi-Experimental Study of a Brief Digital Abstinence Intervention
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDigital distraction and excessive engagement with instant-reward technologies, including social media and streaming platforms, are associated with reduced attention control, procrastination, and impaired self-regulation among university students. Nursing students face academic and clinical demands that require planning, prioritization, and sustained concentration. This study examined whether a brief structured digital abstinence intervention was associated with short-term improvement in time management behaviors among undergraduate nursing students.
methodsA quasi-experimental pre-post control group study with a supplementary exploratory qualitative component was conducted among 90 undergraduate nursing students at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia, during the 2024-2025 academic year. Participants were allocated to an intervention group (n = 45) or a control group (n = 45) using matched allocation based on academic year, GPA category, and gender. The intervention group completed a structured 48-hour digital abstinence protocol restricting non-academic digital activities; the control group continued usual routines. Time management was assessed before and immediately after the intervention using the Time Management Behavior Scale (TMBS), and written reflections from the intervention group were analyzed thematically.
resultsCompared with the control group, the intervention group showed greater short-term improvement in TMBS total change scores (+ 6.7 +/- 4.5 vs. +0.3 +/- 3.6; mean difference = 6.4; 95% CI: 4.69 to 8.11; Cohen's d = 1.57; p < 0.001). Improvements were also observed for goal setting/prioritization, task mechanics, time control, and organizational preference. Qualitative reflections suggested increased awareness of digital habits, improved academic focus, and more intentional study-time use. Correlations between TMBS improvement and GPA, baseline device-use category, and academic level were exploratory and should be interpreted cautiously.
conclusionsA brief structured digital abstinence intervention was associated with short-term improvement in self-reported time management behaviors among undergraduate nursing students. Because the study was quasi-experimental, single-site, self-reported, and limited to an immediate 48-hour post-test, causal and long-term claims should be interpreted cautiously. Future randomized multicenter studies should include objective screen-time measures and longer follow-up. CLINICAL
trial registrationNCT07467057 Retrospectively registered (11-3-2016).
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.