Effect of PETTLEP imagery training on performance of nursing skills: pilot study

Background. Imagery structuring has been demonstrated to facilitate the development of psychomotor skills in sporting performance. A form of imagery structuring known as PETTLEP was employed in this study. PETTLEP (an acronym for its procedures) involves preparation through focussing on physical characteristics, the environment, the task itself, timing, learning, emotion and perspective. Methods. A pilot study was conducted, using experimental design, and the data were collected in 2005. Participants in the experiment were 56 pre-registration students from one university in the United Kingdom. Half of the students received training for two basic nursing skills using PETTLEP procedures, and scores were compared for two objective structured clinical examinations. Results. Students who received PETTLEP training for blood pressure measurement performed statistically significantly better than those who did not (F = 4·62 P =