Exploring the Effectiveness of Nursing Students Using Digital Board Games for Learning Dementia Care: An Observation Study

The aim of this study was to develop a digital board game specifically designed for nursing students to enhance their dementia care skills. By employing digital game-based learning (DGBL), nursing students would ac- quire comprehensive understanding about cognitive function assessment and dementia care. An observational study design was utilized, recruiting eighty students from a vocational college in northern Taiwan. Participants engaged in two 100-minute sessions of the digital board game during two weeks. Data were gathered through structured questionnaires following the completion of the sessions. The results showed that nursing students with a positive attitude towards dementia achieved more effective learning outcomes in dementia care. Moreover, students who were emotionally involved in the course reported higher levels of course satisfaction. The study findings suggest that a positive attitude among nursing students enhances the DGBL learning effects, and their emotional involvement significantly boosts course satisfaction. On the other hand, cognitive involvement did not exhibit a comparable impact.