Paper
Thursday, July 12, 2007
This presentation is part of : Innovative Classroom and Clinical Strategies to Integrate EBP
Igniting the Flame: Using Gaming to Institute a Passion for Evidence-based Practice
Rojann R. Alpers, PhD, RN, Arizona State University College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation, Phoenix, AZ, USA

   A spirit of inquiry, questions that will transform or inform nursing practice and a fast-paced game are the elements that have proven successful in integrating evidence-based nursing research into the senior professional development course.  Research, and it’s diverse methods have always been a part of the professional development course, but with the burgeoning need for undergraduate students to be primary knowledge brokers in their clinical settings and the explosion of evidence-based practice (EBP) as a pre-eminent mode of scholarly inquiry, a need to incorporate EBP into our professional development course became essential.             The game ‘Pick that PICO’ has been used in the last two semesters of the course.  First we review what an EBP PICO (patient, intervention, comparison and outcome of interest) question is and as a group navigate a couple of short case studies to identify possible EBP-PICO questions.  Then students are divided into groups of three and the game begins.  The game itself is based on a BINGO format. EPB-PICO questions are printed on the playing cards and the group must choose the EBP-PICO question that best represents the scenario that is read. Discussion is usually very lively. The game, because of its timed feature obliges the groups to think and act with increasing speed (an accuracy) and of course there are always prizes awarded to the winners.  Students have commented that they learn a needed process (almost in spite of themselves), enjoy the interaction and are better able to develop EBP-PICO questions from their own experiences.  This presentation will include a how-to to game development and an opportunity to play-a-round of ‘Pick that PICO’.