Healthcare student engagement with health-related content through Netflix mini-series: a qualitative study

Abstract

Background: Conventional lecture-based teaching often struggles to keep students engaged and attentive throughout the class. Television and film, when used as educational tools, can promote a compassionate, person-centered approach to healthcare. Film-based education enhances critical thinking and allows students safely to explore and express their professional values and beliefs. This qualitative research aimed to explore how a Netflix mini-series could engage healthcare students and enhance their interest in learning, rather than its direct instructional effectiveness. Method: In September 2023, the “Simulation and Games in Nursing Education” international summer school featured daily episodes from “The Nurse” Netflix mini-series, each lasting 40 to 60 min. Healthcare students attended this event as part of their summer school program. We employed a six-step thematic analysis framework to analyze the collected data and Sankey diagrams were used for visualization. Results: Our research involved 28 healthcare students from six European countries, predominantly women (82%, 23/28), with a mean age of 22 years (SD 2.35). None had seen the series before the summer school. The analysis revealed ‘Cinenurducation’ as the main theme, supported by three subthemes: (1) Observational learning and Critical thinking; (2) Cinenurducation feelings; and (3) Relationships and Personal behaviors. Conclusion: While Netflix mini-series can provide engagement opportunities, this research underscores the importance of distinguishing between engagement and educational effectiveness in using media as a teaching tool. Clinical trial number: None.