Effects of A Mobile Phone Short Message Service on Nurses’ Knowledge about Diabetic Ketoacidosis H. Jafarimanesh, S. Zand, M. Ranjbaran, P. Varvani Farahani, ١ ١٢ ١ G.R. Sadrkia, M. Seif Hashemi, P. Matory-Por and A.S. Khoshniyat Abstract: Introduction: One of the nursing education purposes is improving professional qualification of nurses. Due to difficulties in lecture-based nursing training and uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of training through SMS, this study aimed to compare the effectiveness of using SMS and that of lecturing on nurses’ knowledge about diabetic ketoacidosis. Method: This study was carried out in ٢٠١٤ as a randomized intervention study. The subjects in this study were selected by cluster sampling among the nurses in the hospitals of Arak, Iran. Then, they were randomly divided into two intervention groups: through lectures (Group I: n = ٤٣) and through SMS (Group II: n = ٤٣). The first group was trained on diabetic ketoacidosis through lectures and the second group through short message service. One month past training, knowledge of nurses was assessed. The data gathering tool includes ١) Demographic questionnaire and ٢) Knowledge and awareness of diabetic ketoacidosis questionnaire. Face and content validity of the instrument was obtained as ٠.٨٦ and its reliability as ٠.٨٣ in terms of internal consistency. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS ٢٠ using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, paired t-test and Analysis of Covariance. Results: The average age of the subjects was ٣٢.٧١±٦.٩٢ years. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of demographic variables (Age, sex, education level, marital status). The results of this study showed that there was a significant difference between the pre-test and post-test scores in each group (P< ٠/٠٠١). This means that both on the job training methods promoted awareness of the nurses. In addition, there was a significant difference between the post-test scores of the two groups (P< ٠/٠٠١) as the average of scores in the lecture-based group was higher than that in the SMS-based group (P< ٠/٠٠١). Conclusion: On the job training through lectures and short message service has been effective in increasing the knowledge of nurses. It is recommended that teaching strategies like using SMS is used, in addition to lecturing, as an efficient and cost-effective assistive tool in on the job training for nurses. Key words: Diabetic Ketoacidosis Nurses Short Message Service (SMS) Knowledge Mobile phone