Virtual gaming to develop students' pediatric nursing skills: A usability test.

BACKGROUND: As competition for specialty clinical placements increases, there is an urgent need to create safe, stimulating, alternative learning environments for students.

OBJECTIVE: To address that clinical gap, our team developed a virtual game-based simulation to help nursing students develop their pediatric nursing skills.

DESIGN: A usability study was conducted using the Technology Acceptance Model as a research framework.

SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: The study was conducted at a community college and included nursing students, nursing faculty/clinicians and two gaming experts.

METHODS: The two experts evaluated the game using a heuristic checklist after playing the game. Participants engaged in a think-aloud activity while playing the game and completed a survey and interview based on the Technology Acceptance Model to explore ease of use and utility of the game.

RESULTS: We found a high degree of user satisfaction with the game. Students reported that they had learned about pediatric care, they had become immersed in the game and they were keen to keep playing. Several design changes were recommended.

CONCLUSION: Usability testing is critical in the early stages of simulation development and the study provided useful direction for the development team in the next stage of game development.