IOT Nursing Project

Team Name

Time Tellers

Timeline

Fall 2022 – Spring 2023

Students

• Meaza Abera
• Nicholas Addyman
• Chonrev Cal
• Craig Holguin
• Abdur Hossain

Sponsor

UTA Nursing Department

Abstract

The clock designed for this project allows for nursing simulations to be run more accurately and efficiently. An operator will be able to control the clock by first setting the desired time, and then resetting the clock using hotkeys. Additionally, the operator can change the font, font color, and font size on the clock to fit the style that they want.

Background

At the current moment, there is no display that allows for its users to immediately alter a display of the time large enough to encompass a classroom or laboratory efficiently. Due to this, the UTA nursing department has not been able to immerse its nursing students in problem scenarios where they are pressured to work under time-sensitive situations. This does not allow its students to fully understand the atmosphere and requirements the nursing workplace places upon its workers, limiting the students’ knowledge and preparation for scenarios that could potentially harm or fatally injure patients. According to The University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, simulations are vital, as it “tests participants’ knowledge and skill levels” in a “safe environment” [1]. As a result, the students that are sent to work in hospitals and clinics outside of the nursing department may not perform efficiently and swiftly enough to potentially save patients’ lives.

By requesting the development of this display, the nursing department plans to overcome this limitation by allowing its students access to immersive scenarios for time-sensitive and pressuring situations. The large display of times and dates allow for a greater emphasis on the time to be placed in nursing students’ minds, and the ability to edit the times will allow for instructors to immerse the students in scenarios that take place only during certain times as well as place different amounts of pressure on the students that must perform tasks by a certain time by altering the display of the time.

The nursing department has asked us to do this in particular, as the software engineering department contains the knowledge and ability to implement this ability to display and edit times and dates into display devices. Additionally, as departments under the same university, the nursing department and our development team will have an ease of communication between us. We are able to release updates to them swiftly with a lack of issues, and we are also able to efficiently ascertain the locations and environments these displays will be for. This will allow for the development team to create a display that will more easily fit in the classrooms and for the instructors and students to simply edit and view the displayed time and date.

Project Requirements

1. The user should be able to adjust the time on the clock.
2. The clock should be able to be run by an operator that isn’t using the same device that the clock is displayed on.
3. The clock should dynamically fit to whatever monitor that it is being displayed on.
4. The performance of the clock should be quick enough so that within 1 second of the reset hotkey being pressed, the clock will be updated to the saved simulation time.
5. The clock application needs to be able to be put into an executable that can be placed in the user’s taskbar.
6. The user should be able to use hot keys to quickly reset the simulated clock time.
7. The clock’s interface should try to resemble the LEAP software that the University’s nursing department already uses.
8. The user should be able to increase or decrease the font size of the clock.
9. The user should be able to change the font color to whatever color is desired.
10. The clock should be able to be set to run the current time of day if the user decides.

System Overview

The clock designed for the nursing department is an application created for use in simulations. The clock is customizable in both the time and the font of the clock itself. Without having to use the device on which the clock is displayed, the operator of the clock is able to save the desired time for the simulation into the program, and then quickly reset the clock to the saved time by using hotkeys.

While the clock was specifically designed for use in nursing simulations, it has other potential applications beyond this specific scope. Realistically, any person or group that needs a customizable clock will be able to find use from this application.

Results

Future Work

1. Set up the equipment in the simulation rooms that the nursing department intends to use the program in.
2. Create a more user friendly menu.
3. Allow the user to type in exactly which font size they want and also type search the font style they desire instead of having to search through them manually.

Project Files

Project Charter (link)

System Requirements Specification (link)

Architectural Design Specification (link)

Detailed Design Specification (link)

Poster (link)

References

1. Mozafaripour, Sara. “Benefits of Simulation in Education: USAHS.” University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, 30 Jan. 2023, https://www.usa.edu/blog/simulation-in-education/. ​
2. “Tkinter – Python Interface to TCL/TK.” Python Documentation, https://docs.python.org/3/library/tkinter.html. ​
3. “Turtle – Turtle Graphics.” Python Documentation, https://docs.python.org/3/library/turtle.html. ​
4. “Datetime – Basic Date and Time Types.” Python Documentation, https://docs.python.org/3/library/datetime.html. ​
5. TIMBOOTECH. “Wireless HDMI Transmitter and Receiver.” Https://M.media-Amazon.com/Images/G/01/Apparel/Rcxgs/Tile._CB483369110_.Gif. ​
6. ELECROW. Small Monitor Display. Https://M.media-Amazon.com/Images/G/01/Apparel/Rcxgs/Tile._CB483369110_.Gif.