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).