An aging simulation game’s impact on the attitudes of nursing students

Abstract

Background & Aim: The aging of the population poses new challenges, among others, a greater concern with the teaching of geriatrics and gerontology, especially to future health professionals. The simulation game "Aging Nursing Game" ® was used with the objective of evaluating the impact of an aging simulation game on nursing students' attitudes towards the elderly.
 Methods & Materials: A pre-test and post-test type quasi-experimental study was performed, without control group. The research was developed between February and July 2018. The subjects of this study were second-year undergraduate nursing students. A game was used as an intervention. To measure the effectiveness of the game, a questionnaire was applied before and after the intervention. The data collection instrument consisted of a questionnaire composed of two parts, the first part for sociodemographic characterization, and another consisting of the Portuguese version of the Kogan Scale (KAOP).
 Results: The sample consisted of 45 undergraduate nursing students from the 2nd year corresponding to 75% of the population. The attitude towards the elderly person improved significantly before and after the intervention. Of the 34 items on the Kogan Scale (KAOP), 21 improved significantly.
 Conclusion: The simulation game has proven to be effective in teaching students changing attitudes towards the elderly (p <0.05).

Ageing simulation in health and social care education: A mixed methods systematic review

“…Of the 11 pre/post intervention without control studies in this review, eight reported a significant improvement in attitudes to older people, using a range of scales (Booth & Kada, 2015; Chen et al., 2015a, 2015b; de Abreu et al., 2017; Evans et al., 2005; Fernandes et al., 2019; Halpin, 2015; Varkey et al., 2006). One study (Robinson & Rosher, 2001) found no overall difference in attitude post intervention on the ASD, but did find a significant improvement on the instrumental subscale which related to attitudes to older people's ability to improve, change and pursue goals.…”

Rol Oynama ve Yaşlı Simülasyon Kıyafetinin Yaşlılara Karşı Empati ve Olumlu Tutum Üzerindeki Etkisi

“…In this study, it was determined that nursing and medical students had positive attitudes to the older people. Various studies reported that both nursing (26,27,29,30) and medical students (31) had positive attitudes towards the older people, while some others reported negative attitudes (3,5,32). In our study, although the change in the mean scores of the students for the older people attitudes differs in relation with the colleges, the difference between the experimental and control group students also changes.…”

“…Any study investigating the effect of role playing on developing positive attitudes towards the older people is not available in the literature. However, there are studies related to the effects of the age simulation suit on the older people attitude, and some studies reported that the aged simulation suit was effective in developing positive attitudes (7,26,27) particularly in students, while some others suggested that it has a negative effect (18,33). Different interventions used in different studies may be reason for these diverse results.…”

Development and Validation of the Serious Educational Game in Nursing Appraisal Scale

“…In recent years, gamification has aroused considerable interest in various fields, including health [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Moreover, the diffusion of technological and computer tools has contributed to the use of new methodologies, strategies, and resources in teaching [ 2 , 5 ], specifically in the education of healthcare professionals [ 2 ].…”

“…The strategic use of gamification in healthcare professions education aims to improve learning outcomes, promote behavioral changes, and enhance clinical skills through greater engagement and practice in a risk-free environment [ 6 , 7 ]. Within this context, exploring gamification in the teaching–learning process opens various innovative possibilities, among which we highlight the use of serious games.…”