Games and Gamification in Nursing: Mapping the Literature and Future Directions

Abstract

Background: Games and gamification have emerged as innovative tools in nursing, offering engaging and interactive approaches to enhance education and practice. Despite the increasing volume of research, gaps remain in understanding the current state of nursing literature. Objectives: This research aims to map the trends, thematic foci, and research gaps in the field of gaming and gamification in nursing through bibliometric analysis. Design: A descriptive bibliometric analysis design was used. Methods: Data were retrieved from the Scopus and Web of Science databases using keywords related to gamification and nursing. A total of 968 studies were subjected to analysis using the R-based biblioshiny for bibliometrix application. Key metrics, including study trends, prominent topics, trending topics, thematic maps, and country collaborations, were systematically analyzed. Results: A recent analysis has revealed rapid growth in the field in recent years. The most productive and influential journal is Nurse Education Today, authored by Tyerman, J., and Verkuyl. The United States of America has emerged as the most productive nation in this field. A comprehensive keyword analysis reveals that the terms nursing education and nurses hold a central position within the field. The analysis further revealed that the most frequently used author keywords were nursing student, simulation, gamification, virtual reality, and game-based learning. The terms digital game, serious gaming, empath, virtual reality, simulation, and gamification were identified as trending topics. Conclusions: Games and gamification in nursing are rapidly developing fields with trending topics such as gamification, virtual reality, and serious gaming in recent years. Studies have mainly focused on nursing education. There is a large research gap in the professional development of nurses and in improving the quality of care. Addressing these gaps in future research will contribute to expanding the field, improving the professional development of nurses, and improving the quality of care.