Studies suggests that well-designed educational board games can promote higher level thinking and learner engagement. Games can also stimulate the release of dopamine, allowing learning to be enjoyable and embedded in long-term memory.
In 2024, members of the Planetary Health for Nursing and Midwifery Research and Education Collaborative developed a board game titled: ‘Healthy planet, healthy people’. The game is premised on the understanding that there is ‘no health without planetary health’.
Planetary health emphasises the deep interconnections between nature and humans as well as the need for sustainable practices that protect the health of the planet and current and future generations. Climate change is a significant disruptor of planetary health and described as the most pressing issue facing humanity today.
Planetary health initiatives, including climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies, are integral to nurses’ and midwives’ scope of practice. Enhancing skills and knowledge in these areas could lessen greenhouse gas emissions from healthcare services, ultimately reducing the threat of surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius global warming. The ‘Healthy planet, healthy people’ board game sought to address these imperatives.
The evidence-based board game was informed by the results of a Delphi study that sought consensus on the knowledge and skills that graduates require to steward healthcare towards a more sustainable future.
This presentation will provide preliminary findings from a study that examined the impact of the board game on students’ knowledge acquisition, attitudes and level of satisfaction with the learning experience.