The effect of serious games (simulation) on attitude and empathy toward elderly nursing students

Background & Objective: Nursing students require a positive attitude and empathy towards the elderly in order to provide high-quality healthcare services.This study aimed to assess the effect of a serious aging game on the attitude and empathy of nursing students toward aging. Material & Methods:This study utilized a quasi-experimental design involving 72 nursing students who were divided into intervention and control groups.The intervention group engaged in a serious game focused on aging, while the control group received traditional training courses.The students' attitudes toward aging were evaluated using Kogan's attitude towards aging and Jefferson's empathy questionnaires.Data analysis included descriptive statistics (Mean SD) and inferential tests (independent and paired t-test). Results:The students' score of attitude towards aging in the intervention and control groups before intervention was (139.72 6.43) and (139 6.43) respectively.After the intervention, a significant difference was reported between the attitude scores of the students in the intervention (153.42 14) and control (137.18 10.67) groups (p < 0.0001).In addition, the mean scores of empathy towards old age in students of the intervention (103.54 16.41) and control groups (99.90 15.11) before the educational intervention.A significant difference between the scores of the intervention (113.42 10.07) and control (94.42 14.24) groups was reported (p < 0.0001). Conclusion:The serious game of the elderly has been associated with the improvement of attitude and empathy in nursing students.The serious game of the elderly was suggested as one of the teaching methods in the nursing curriculum.