Crossword puzzle as a learning tool to enhance learning about anticoagulant therapeutics

"Aquilibria: The battle to balance"-a narrative card and board game on acid-base regulation for first-year medical students

Recognizing the growing value of game-based learning in medical education, this study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the innovation, "Aquilibria: The Battle to Balance," a creative narrative card and board game to help improve learners' understanding and application of the concepts of acid-base balance. In this mixed-method study, 120 first-year medical students participated. The innovation employed a card and board style integrated with a captivating story. Students were divided into small groups of six each with a facilitator. Following this, the posttest was conducted to compare the educational gain. Also, students' perceptions about the game were obtained using a 32-item questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. In addition to this, the confidence level among students to understand and interpret the concepts of acid-base regulation before and after the game was obtained using a 10-item questionnaire on a 5-point Likert scale. Furthermore, for qualitative data, short interviews with open-ended questions were conducted and thematic analysis was performed. The results showed a highly significant improvement in academic performance from a pretest score of 7.57 ± 1.07 (means ± SD) to 16.14 ± 1.80 in the posttest with a P value of <0.0001. There was a notable increase in confidence among learners after the game, and highly positive student feedback was received. These findings support the growing recognition of narrative game-based learning as a valuable and engaging strategy in medical education, offering a promising avenue for fostering deeper understanding and retention of complex medical concepts.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This innovation is a captivating blend of storytelling, cards, and board gameplay to facilitate the learning of acid-base regulation. This engaging game offers a wealth of questions and diverse case scenarios, allowing learners to repeatedly explore and grasp the intricacies of acid-base balance. What sets this game apart is its robust assessment strategy, supported by overwhelmingly positive feedback and marked academic improvement. This innovation is a must-have for students seeking a dynamic and effective learning experience.

"CARBGAME" (CARd & Board GAmes in Medical Education): a gamification innovation to foster active learning in biochemistry for medical students

Diving into the realm of game-based learning, the "CARBGAME"(CARd & Board GAmes in Medical Education) is an innovative series of games that reimagines the way medical students learn complex but essential chapters. In the pilot study, there was a highly significant improvement in the academic performance of students in the chapter "Vitamins." All the students perceived CARBGAME to be highly rewarding in terms of creating engaging and meaningful learning experiences. Recognizing the benefit of games in medical education, we strongly recommend the implementation of CARBGAME for essential topics in physiology education to create a more dynamic and engaging learning environment for students.NEW & NOTEWORTHY "CARBGAME" (CARd & Board GAmes in Medical Education) creates a unique and fun-filled educational environment where students learn complex but essential medical chapters in a gamified manner using cards and boards. This customizable innovation is strengthened with fundamental educational principles to promote engaging and meaningful learning experiences for students.

"Pharmacotrophy": a playful tournament for game- and team-based learning in pharmacology education - assessing its impact on students' performance

BACKGROUND

At the Faculty of Pharmacy of Paris, we conducted a pharmacology tournament in 2021 and 2022, named "Pharmacotrophy", to offer a game-, team- and competitive-based learning innovation based on fun and challenge. This article aims to (1) provide a detailed overview of the organisation of "Pharmacotrophy," (2) present and compare feedback from both students and teachers, and (3) assess the impact of student participation on their exam marks.

METHODS

"Pharmacotrophy" took place in 2021 and 2022 over a two-week period at the beginning of the exam revision phase. It involved a combination of remote matches using the online quiz creation tool Kahoot!® and in-person matches. Teams, consisting of three students from the 4th or 5th year, participated in several selection rounds leading up to the final match. The questions covered various topics from the pharmacology curriculum. Using an anonymous online survey, we collected the feedback from students and teacher regarding the organisation of the tournament and the interest and difficulty of the different type of questions. We retrospectively compared the exam marks of 4th year students who took part in "Pharmacotrophy" (n2021 = 19 and n2022 = 20) with those of the rest of the 4th year (n2021 = 315-320 and n2022 = 279-281), both in the year before "Pharmacotrophy" and just after the tournament.

RESULTS

Students highlighted the educational benefits of team-based and game-based learning. This novel approach positively and constructively motivated students to review pharmacology. Additionally, students appreciated the establishment of a trust-based relationship with their teachers. All students had a similar pharmacology level based on their exam results in the year before "Pharmacotrophy." After the tournament, participants had marks 20.1% higher in pharmacology questions compared to non-participants (p = 0.02), while they had comparable overall levels, as evidenced by their final grade averages and marks in non-pharmacology questions. Moreover, participants who advanced further in the competition achieved higher marks in pharmacology questions compared to those who were eliminated early in the tournament.

CONCLUSION

The implementation of "Pharmacotrophy" provided students with an enjoyable way to review pharmacology coursework and revived the interest in pharmacology for some. Specifically, participating in "Pharmacotrophy" led to an increase in pharmacology marks for students who were not among the top performers in the class or did not excel in pharmacology in the previous year. This study quantified the pedagogical value of this innovative curriculum in terms of knowledge acquisition.

"METAPAD" (METAbolic PAthways Decoded) - a gaming innovation to ease the complexity of metabolic pathways by promoting self-directed, active, participatory learning in small groups

BACKGROUND

In medical education, the conventional didactic lectures make the learning process tedious and cause disinterest among students. To overcome this, an effective experiential learning integrated with game-based approach that intends to make the learning process fun filled, interesting and enhance the active participation of students to understand complex topics in a simple and optimum manner should be adopted.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficiency of a puzzle-based innovation, METAPAD (METAbolic PAthways Decoded) in understanding the complexity of biochemical pathways by enhancing the self-directed learning of students through active engagement in small groups METHODS: In this mixed-method study, 103 first professional year medical students in small groups were enrolled for the METAPAD gaming puzzle-based learning activity. The puzzles were integrated with a relevant clinical case study. Decoding the puzzle after identification of the metabolic pathway involved in the case was conducted in level 1,2 and 3 with increasing complexity of puzzles at every level. Following the puzzle activity, A 21-item questionnaire was administered to evaluate the usefulness of the innovation and students' perceptions towards different learning styles. Also, students' feedback was obtained through personal interviews for qualitative analysis and thematic analysis was performed.

RESULTS

One hundred and three first year undergraduate medical students participated in the study. Most of the students perceived the METAPAD gaming puzzle to be an effective and innovative style of learning. There was not any significant association between age, gender and acceptance towards the METAPAD gaming puzzle. The predominant type of learning style among the students was multimodal (49.5%). Also, there was no great influence of the learning styles on the overall perception towards the METAPAD gaming puzzle. However, learners emphasized the need to focus more while solving the puzzles.

CONCLUSION

Students perceive the METAPAD gaming puzzle as an actively engaging teaching-learning method that enhances their creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving abilities. It promotes self-directed learning of complex pathways in biochemistry which helps in remembering and recalling information and improves their learning skills.

The effect of crossword puzzles on nursing students' learning of concepts related to pain management course: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Nursing students encounter various terms and concepts during their undergraduate education. Repeating and reinforcing these terms and concepts is challenging. Active learning strategies are recommended to enhance students' effectiveness, productivity and interest in the learning process in undergraduate education.

AIM

This study aims to investigate the effect of crossword puzzles on nursing students' learning success and knowledge retention of the concepts related to the pain management course.

DESIGN

The study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial.

SETTINGS

The study was conducted in the nursing department of a state university in the southern region of Turkey.

PARTICIPANTS

The study involved 72 s-year nursing students who were enrolled in the Pain Management course.

METHODS

Data were collected using a "Personal Information Form" and three different "Pain Management Knowledge Tests." While the control group received only the standard lecture technique as a traditional method, the experimental group was exposed to crossword puzzles as an active learning method for three lesson hours following the standard lecture technique. Research data were collected between November and December 2022 in the classroom. Descriptive statistics, the Independent Samples t-test, Repeated Measures ANOVA test and Pearson's chi-squared test were employed for data analysis.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference between the pre-test and first post-test mean scores of both groups (p ˃ 0.05). However, the second post-test scores of the experimental group were significantly higher than those of the control group (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The use of crossword puzzles positively affected nursing students' knowledge levels regarding concepts related to the pain management course.

CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRY

NCT05424770.

The effect of crossword puzzle activity used in distance education on nursing students' problem-solving and clinical decision-making skills: A comparative study

AIM

The study was planned to determine the effect of crossword puzzle activity in distance education on nursing students' problem-solving and clinical decision-making skills.

BACKGROUND

In online education, increasing nursing students' learning skills, motivations and participation is important.

DESIGN

The study is a randomized-controlled trial.

METHOD

The study sample consisted of 132 nursing students registered to the Pediatric Nursing distance course in the 2020-2021 academic year. 20 students who were assigned to the control group did not agree to participate in the study and did not fill in the data form. Accordingly, the study was completed with the participation of 112 students, with 66 students in the experimental group and 46 students in the control group. In the 14-week distance education, 20-question crossword puzzle activity per unit was applied to the students in the experimental group. The standards for reporting consort guidelines for reporting parallel group randomized trials were used to report this research. The students in the control group were taught in the form of presentation. At the beginning and end of the study, CDMNS and PSI were applied to the students. Ethics committee approval (Number: 2021/79) was obtained from the relevant university to conduct the research.

RESULTS

A statistically significant difference was found between pretest and posttest scores of the experimental group in PSI and CDMNS scales (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Crossword puzzle activity used in distance education developed the students' problem-solving and clinical decision-making skills.

Use of PDSA Cycles to Increase Aspiration Risk and Swallow Screening Documentation in the Hospitalized General Medical Patient Care Population

BACKGROUND

Aspiration, while hospitalized, can lead to increases in length of stay and health care costs. Nurses must identify patients at risk of aspiration early to initiate appropriate precautions.

LOCAL PROBLEM

An increase in-hospital patient aspirations at a Midwestern hospital prompted a review of events, which identified opportunities to improve identification of patients' risk factors and completion of the bedside swallow screening.

METHODS

Interventions were identified via a causal factor tree analysis and an impact-effort grid then deployed using the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) methodology.

INTERVENTIONS

Interventions deployed included game based-learning, a unit-based champion, and the use of visual cues to identify patients at risk for aspiration.

RESULTS

After 3 PDSA cycles, documentation of patients' aspiration risk factors on admission increased by 40%, with a 51.3% increase in bedside swallow screening results.

CONCLUSION

Iterative PDSA cycles successfully tested staff engagement strategies to improve aspiration risk and swallow screening documentation compliance.