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. 2023 Jul-Aug:71:55-59.
doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2023.03.013. Epub 2023 Mar 31.

Gamification educational intervention improves pediatric nurses' comfort and speed drawing up code-dose epinephrine

Caitlin E King  1 , Amanda Kells  2 , Lindsay Trout  3 , Alison Yirinec  4 , Shouhao Zhou  5 , Adrian D Zurca  6
Affiliations

Gamification educational intervention improves pediatric nurses' comfort and speed drawing up code-dose epinephrine

Caitlin E King et al. J Pediatr Nurs. 2023 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

Purpose: Drawing up weight-based doses of epinephrine is a vital skill for pediatric nurses; however, non-intensive care unit (ICU) nurses may not routinely perform this skill and may not be as efficient or comfortable doing so during pediatric resuscitations. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a gamification program on non-ICU pediatric nurses' knowledge and skills regarding epinephrine for pediatric cardiac arrest.

Design and methods: Comfort and time to draw up three doses of epinephrine during out-of-ICU in-hospital pediatric cardiac arrest were measured pre- and post- a gamification-centered educational intervention.

Results: Nursing comfort improved from 2.93 ± 1.90 to 6.68 ± 1.46 out of 10 (mean difference 3.6 +/- 2.1, p < 0.001). Overall time to draw up three doses of epinephrine decreased after the intervention by an average of 27.1 s (p = 0.019). The number of nurses who could complete the task in under 2 min improved from 23% to 59% (p = 0.031).

Conclusions: At baseline few non-ICU nurses could draw up multiple weight-based doses of epinephrine in under two minutes. A gamification simulation-based educational intervention improved pediatric non-ICU nurses' comfort and speed drawing up epinephrine.

Practice implications: Wide-spread implementation of gamification-centered educational initiatives could result in faster epinephrine administration and improved mortality rates from in-hospital pediatric cardiac arrest.

Keywords: Gamification; Nurse education; Pediatric resuscitation; Simulation education.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
“Epi Olympics” training sheet. This is an educational tool given to all participating nurses after baseline times were obtained.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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