Does theme game-based teaching promote better learning about disaster nursing than scenario simulation: A randomized controlled trial

Background: With the development of information technology, game-based teaching has continuously attracted the attention of nursing educators. It has been proven that games, as an auxiliary tool of traditional teaching, can improve students' learning motivation and learning effects. However, compared with the traditional scenario simulation teaching, whether game-based teaching has obvious advantages is still unknown.

Objectives: This study aimed to explore whether theme game-based teaching is more effective than scenario simulation in improving students' disaster nursing competency.

Design: A randomized controlled trial.

Setting: The study was conducted at a provincial vocational college in Xiaogan, Hubei, China.

Participants: A total of 104 sophomore nursing students (intervention group = 51, control group = 53) participated.

Methods: After the participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group or control group, disaster-themed games were used in the intervention group, while multi-station disaster simulation was applied in the control group. Pre- and post-tests were conducted to assess the participants' disaster nursing competence using the Questionnaire of Disaster Rescue Ability.

Results: After the intervention, disaster nursing competence levels were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (4.04 ± 0.43 vs. 3.77 ± 0.45, P = 0.002). Three domains of disaster nursing competence, cognition (4.05 ± 0.56 vs. 3.75 ± 0.48, P = 0.004), skill (3.88 ± 0.50 vs. 3.62 ± 0.53, p = 0.008) and affective response (4.25 ± 0.42 vs. 4.02 ± 0.48, P = 0.010), were also significantly higher in the intervention group.

Conclusions: Compared with scenario simulation, theme game-based teaching is more effective in improving the disaster nursing competence of nursing students.