Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Serious Games
Date Submitted: Jan 3, 2024
Date Accepted: Mar 10, 2024
Playing a serious smartphone game at home improves theoretical knowledge of adult basic life support in nursing students but not their practical skills: a randomized wait-list controlled trial
ABSTRACT
Background:
Retention of adult basic life support (BLS) knowledge and skills after professional training declines over time. To combat this, the European Resuscitation Council and American Heart Association recommend shorter, more frequent BLS sessions. Emphasizing technology-enhanced learning, such as mobile learning, aims to increase out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) survival and is becoming more integral in nursing education.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to investigate whether playing a serious smartphone game called MOBICPR at home can improve and retain nursing students' theoretical knowledge and practical skills of adult BLS.
Methods:
This study used a randomized wait-list-controlled design. Nursing students were randomly assigned in a 1:1 to either the MOBICPR game intervention group (MOBICPR-IG) or a wait-list control group (WL-CG), where the latter received the MOBICPR game two weeks after the intervention group. The aim of the MOBICPR game is to engage participants in using smartphone gestures (like tapping) and actions (such as talking) to perform evidence based adult BLS on a virtual OHCA victim. The assessment of theoretical knowledge in adult BLS was conducted using a questionnaire, while practical skills were evaluated on cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality parameters using a manikin and a checklist.
Results:
In total 43 nursing students participated in the study, 22 in MOBICPR-IG and 21 in WL-CG. There were differences between MOBICPR-IG and WL-CG for theoretical knowledge (p=0.040), but no differences for practical skills (p=0.451) after playing MOBICPR game at home. No difference was noted in the retention of participants' theoretical knowledge and practical skills in adult BLS after a two-week break from playing the MOBICPR game. Key observations included challenges in response checks with a face-down manikin and a general neglect of safety protocols when using an automated external defibrillator. These findings underscore the importance of integrating diverse scenarios into adult BLS training.
Conclusions:
Playing the MOBICPR game at home has the greatest impact on improving the theoretical knowledge of adult BLS in nursing students, but less practical skills. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05784675)
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