The effect of computer-aided game on the development of intramuscular injection application skills in nursing students

In order to assess the impact of a computer-aided game on achievement status, anxiety level, and satisfaction levels in the development of intramuscular injection application abilities in nursing education, a randomised experimental research design with a pretest-posttest control group was used for the study. The population of the study consisted of all first-year students taking the "Nursing Principles Course" in the "Spring Semester of the 2022-2023 Academic Year" of the university where the research was conducted (N: 91). The sample consisted of 60 students, 30 experimental group and 30 control group, who volunteered to participate in the study and met the research criteria. The data were collected using the Student Introduction Form, IM Injection Information Form, IM Injection Administration Checklist, Revised Test Anxiety Scale and Visual Comparison Scale. The experimental group was given access to the Computer Assisted Game after the IM injection demonstration. Both groups were evaluated with a skills exam one week later. When the intramuscular injection knowledge pre-test and post-test mean scores of the students in the experimental and control groups were compared within themselves, it was found that the increase in both the experimental and control groups was significant (p<0,05). It was found that the mean intramuscular injection skill scores of the students in the experimental group were higher than those of the students in the control group, and there was no meaningful correlation between the frequency of playing games and the total score of the experimental group students and the total pre and post-test scores of knowledge, general anxiety, test anxiety, satisfaction with the teaching method, ability to provide the necessary material for intramuscular injection, IM injection application skill (p>0,05). It was found that the mean scores of the Revised Test Anxiety Scale "thoughts unrelated to the exam" sub-dimension of the control group students were higher than the mean scores of the students in the experimental group (p<0,05), and there was no meaningful difference in the other sub-dimensions and the total scale. When the satisfaction of the students with the teaching method was evaluated, it was seen that the satisfaction scores of the students in the experimental group with the teaching method according to the Visual Comparison Scale were 9.43±1.16, while the scores of the students in the control group were 7.23±2.35 and the dissimilarity between the groups was statistically meaningful (p<0,05). Consequence, it was determined that the computer-assisted game was an appropriate teaching method for the acquisition of psychomotor skills related to intramuscular injection practice and the satisfaction levels of the students with the teaching method increased. It was recommended that game-based teaching method should be applied to a larger sample group and students at different grade levels in teaching different cognitive and affective skills.