The escape room as evaluation method: A qualitative study of nursing students’ experiences

Purpose: Gamification or learning using game elements is a process that seeks to capture students’ interest. One of the most popular games in recent years is the Escape Room, but the study of its use in education and with health professionals is still limited. The aim of this study was to find out the perceptions and experiences of final year nursing students in an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) by means of an Escape Room. Methods: In January 2019, 9 focus groups (FG) were held, with a total of 95 final year nursing students. We applied a qualitative content analysis approach and ATLAS.ti version 8 was used for data analysis. Results: The data revealed 3 main themes and 8 sub-themes. The three main themes, which were mapped to the conceptual framework, were student learning outcomes, emotional impact on students and conclusions on the serious games experience. Both the main themes and the sub-themes were illustrated using representative quotes from the participants. Conclusions: These results can help to apply these methodologies, such as the Escape Room, alongside other pre-existing ones, complementing the way in which students are assessed and the development of important nursing skills, such as teamwork and communication

Escape Rooms as a Clinical Evaluation Method for Nursing Students

Background: There are currently no studies available about the possible use of gamification in the evaluation of nursing students’ clinical skills. The purpose of this study was to understand the gameful experience and satisfaction of nursing students in the evaluation of their clinical skills using an escape room. Methods: A quasiexperimental study was carried out. The participants were divided into an experimental group (escape room) and a control group. Results: The experimental group had higher than average scores in all dimensions of the gameful experience scale, except in the dimension of negative effects. Conclusions: Escape rooms are a useful tool for the evaluation of nursing students compared with using the objective structured clinical evaluation

The Hypoactivity Associated with the Repeated Exposure to Atrazine Is Related to Decreases in the Specific Binding to D1-DA Receptors in the Striatum of Rats

The herbicide atrazine (ATR) has a potential toxic effect on the neuronal circuits of the brain, specifically on two major dopaminergic pathways: the nigrostriatal and mesolimbic circuits. In this work, we repeatedly exposed adult male Sprague-Dawley rats to 6 injections of 100 mg ATR/kg of body weight (for two weeks) and one saline injection two days after ATR administration. Locomotor activity was assessed for 15 minutes and/or 2 hours after ATR or saline injection and 2 months after the final ATR administration. The specific binding of [3H]-SCH23390 to D1-DA receptors and that of [3H]-Spiperone to D2-DA receptors in the dorsal and ventral striatum were assessed 2 days and 2 months after ATR treatment. ATR administration resulted in immediate, short- and long-term hypoactivity and reduced specific binding of [3H]-SCH23390 in the dorsal striatum of rats evaluated 2 months after the last ATR injection. The specific binding of [3H]-SCH23390 in the ventral striatum and the specific binding of [3H]-Spiperone in the dorsal and ventral striatum remained unchanged at 2 days or 2 months after ATR treatment. These results, together with previous findings of our group, indicate that the nigrostriatal system is a preferential target for ATR exposure

Educational Interventions for Nursing Students to Develop Communication Skills with Patients: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Nursing students establish therapeutic relationships with their patients and as future nursing professionals, they should be trained to be effective communicators. The objective of this systematic review was to know the impact of educational interventions on nursing students to develop their communication skills with patients. Methods: A systematic review of literature was carried out. The following databases were consulted: CINAHL, PubMed (Ovid Medline), SCOPUS and Web of Science. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guided this review. As for inclusion criteria, published articles in English from 2000 to 2020 were included. The methodological rigor of the included articles was evaluated with the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Randomized Controlled Trial or Quasi-Experimental Studies. Changes in communication skills with the patient after the implementation of an intervention were analyzed. Results: Of the included studies in this systematic review (N = 19), two studies were randomized controlled trials, others were single group quasi-experimental studies (N = 11) and two group quasi-experimental studies (n = 6). The majority of the studies were carried out in the USA (n = 7). The most frequent educational intervention was simulation (n = 11). As for the improvement of communication skills, 13 of the 19 articles found statistically significant differences in patient-centered communication skills of nursing students. Conclusions: This systematic review provides preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of interventions used to train nursing students in patient-centered communication. Although all the interventions obtained significant results in communication skills, it has not yet been determined which methodology is more effective

Sistemas de detección de modo isla en inversores conectados a la red eléctrica: análisis del estado del arte

Este artículo presenta un análisis del estado del arte de los diferentes sistemas de detección de modo isla en inversores conectados a la red eléctrica. Los métodos de detección en generadores distribuidos (GD) pueden ser divididos en locales y remotos.Los remotos se basan en un sistema de generación centralizado, ya que son estos los que envían la información (o avisan) para la operación en modo isla. Mientras que en los métodos locales se realiza la detección en los GDs yse pueden dividir en técnicas activas y pasivas.Palabra(s) Clave(s): generación distribuida, micro-red, zona de no detección

Nursing Students’ Perceptions of Smartphone Use in the Clinical Care and Safety of Hospitalised Patients

Smartphones have become an indispensable item for nursing students. The use of these devices in the clinical setting could have various effects on the clinical work of nursing students. This study was to explore nursing students’ perceptions of their lived experiences of smartphone use in the clinical setting, in regard to patient safety. A descriptive phenomenological study was carried out. A total of 24 nursing students from a university in the southeast of Spain participated in this study. There were 10 in-depth interviews and two focal groups from January to May 2020. The data analysis was performed using ATLAS.TI software to identify the emergent topics. The COREQ Checklist was used to prepare the manuscript. Three principal topics were identified that illustrated the nursing students’ experiences and perceptions of smartphone use in the clinical setting (1): Using smartphones in the clinical setting as a personal resource, (2) smartphones as a support mechanism for making clinical decisions, (3) impact of smartphones on patient care. The nursing students perceived smartphones as a support mechanism for making clinical decisions and for patient care. Smartphone use during clinical practicums may influence the quality of patient-centred communication and threaten clinical safety. The results of this study provide knowledge on the use of smartphones by nursing students in the clinical setting, which could help to establish measures that guarantee adequate patient care and responsible use of these devices