Effectiveness of a game-based mobile application in educating nursing students on flushing and locking venous catheters with pre-filled saline syringes: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Aim This study aimed to determine the effect of a game-based mobile application on flushing and locking venous catheters for nursing students. This study aimed to determine the effect of a game-based mobile application on the skill levels of nursing students in respect of flushing and locking of venous catheters with pre-filled saline syringes. Background In the context of the education of nursing students, a game-based mobile application was used as a motivational aid to improve nursing students’ skills in flushing and locking of venous catheters. Design A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted from August 2020, in a university-affiliated hospital in China. Methods A total of 154 nursing students were divided randomly into two groups: a control group (n = 77) and an experimental group (n = 77). All the participants received a 30-min theoretical interpretation, 30-min demonstration, and one opportunity to practice. For the next seven days, the participants in the experimental group used a game-based mobile application as a motivational aid to practice their skills in flushing and locking of venous catheters’; the control group received no additional intervention. We observed the skill performance and the incidence of errors in the procedural steps of the participants in the two groups at first and seven days later, along with the learning curve of the skills of the experimental group in respect of flushing and locking of venous catheters. Results The final skill performance scores of the nursing students in the experimental group were higher than the average scores of the students in the control group (p = 0.003); The incidence of errors in material preparation rate, hand hygiene, and flushing and locking in the experimental group was lower than that in the control group (p = 0.027, p = 0.035, p = 0.045). Analysis of the learning curve revealed that the experimental group needed an average of 11 repeat practices sessions to master the skills. Conclusions In the short term, the game-based mobile application was effective in improving the skills of nursing students in flushing and locking venous catheters with pre-filled saline syringes. It is an effective complement to existing training methods.