JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Life support scenarios are highly challenging, as patient survival depends on the provider's actions. Educators use simulations like serious games to prepare for these situations. Although studies on stress detection in controlled environments exist, few explore stress detection using serious smartphone games.

Objective:

This study examines the impact of a home-based serious game on stress among nursing students practicing adult Basic Life Support (BLS).

Methods:

In a single-center, randomized, wait-list-controlled trial, nursing students were divided into an intervention group (IG) and a wait-list control group (WL-CG). Participants' stress levels were assessed using physiological metrics—electrodermal activity (EDA), heart rate (HR), and body temperature (BT)—collected via the Empatica E4 device. These measures were taken while participants colored mandalas for five minutes before and after performing simulated adult BLS scenarios at baseline, two-week follow-ups, and four-week follow-ups. Between follow-ups, participants in both groups played the MOBICPR game at home for two weeks. The game was designed to simulate out-of-hospital cardiac arrest scenarios and provided training on performing evidence-based adult BLS.

Results:

Of the 124 nursing students enrolled, 43 were included in the study (22 in the IG and 21 in the WL-CG). Most participants were women (88.37%) with an average age of 19±0.6 years. EDA, BVP, and BT show significant changes across measurement phases in both IG and WL-CG (P < .05), while HR shows no consistent significance (P > .05), indicating minimal differences between groups across phases.

Conclusions:

Our study suggests that playing a serious mobile game like MOBICPR at home can affect stress levels before and after performing simulated adult BLS. Incorporating serious gaming into educational curricula could provide safe, risk-free practice and better prepare users for future challenges. Clinical Trial: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05784675