Abstract

Effective pain management is an elusive concept in the acute care setting. Improving nurses' knowledge about optimal pain management is one way to improve the patient's pain experience. A computer-simulation game was developed as an alternative method of teaching the subject of pain management to nursing students. In the game, two patient scenarios are presented, one male and one female. Both patients present with acute pain and request help from the nurse. The player progresses through a series of nine questions as the scenarios unfold, each with one best or correct answer. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the game's potential as a teaching method compared to traditional methods of teaching, such as a lecture. A total of 30 nursing students participated in the study. After playing through the game, each student was asked to complete a post-game survey consisting of 10 standard 5-point Likert scale items and five open-ended questions. The survey was used to evaluate the students' enjoyment of the game, educational benefits, preference compared to traditional teaching methods, and perceived potential to change nursing practice. Results of the survey show that the majority of nursing students enjoyed playing the game and found it captured their attention more than traditional teaching methods. Nine out of the ten Likert scale items received universal high scores. Nursing students were receptive to the computer-simulation game as a teaching method and found it preferable to traditional methods.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2013

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Allred, Kelly

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (B.S.N.)

College

College of Nursing

Degree Program

Nursing

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Nursing; Nursing -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

PDF

Identifier

CFH0004347

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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Included in

Nursing Commons

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