Study: Digital gaming can recognize nurses, improve retention

A mobile social gaming app boosted nurse engagement and connected nurses to the joy of their work, a study found. Published in the June issue of the Journal of Nursing Administration, the study took place at two hospitals in Oregon and Alaska. The social gaming app permitted users to invite other caregivers to demonstrate support and recognition for one another by answering polls about positive attributes and behaviors. At the end of the project’s fourth week, the number of users grew by 489%, with one-fifth of the total nursing workforce (106 individuals) using the app. The authors concluded the game could be an effective tool to build workplace cultures of positivity and improve nurse engagement, resilience and retention.