Game-Based Quality Improvement Teaching: Using Taters in Nursing Education

Quality improvement (QI) is difficult to teach in the classroom; therefore, nursing students are often under-prepared to participate in such projects after graduation. The Plan-Do-Study-Act method is commonplace in QI instruction and is often used in nursing. This study proposed and evaluated a gameful learning approach to improve understanding and engagement of a QI process using Potato Head figures.

An observational design was utilized. Following classroom activity, students self-selected to join focus groups to discuss gameful learning experiences in learning QI techniques. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Overall, learners found the activity was effective in teaching QI. Positive and negative themes were identified, including fun and competitive, interactive and communication, and teamwork; disconnection between QI topic and game, and unclear instruction, respectively.

Using gameful learning helped students understand and engage with QI projects that may translate to clinical practice for new graduate nurses. [.