Evaluation of a dementia awareness game for undergraduate nursing students in Northern Ireland: a Pre-/Post-Test study
Abstract Introduction Although it is possible to live well with dementia and many individuals with dementia lead active lives with the help of family, friends, and communities, the general impression of dementia is frequently negative. Dementia is a global health issue. Despite this, little research...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2023-05-01
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| Series: | BMC Nursing |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01345-2 |
| _version_ | 1797818089029500928 |
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| author | Stephanie Craig Patrick Stark Christine Brown Wilson Gillian Carter Sonya Clarke Gary Mitchell |
| author_facet | Stephanie Craig Patrick Stark Christine Brown Wilson Gillian Carter Sonya Clarke Gary Mitchell |
| author_sort | Stephanie Craig |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Introduction Although it is possible to live well with dementia and many individuals with dementia lead active lives with the help of family, friends, and communities, the general impression of dementia is frequently negative. Dementia is a global health issue. Despite this, little research has been done on the effects of innovative dementia education strategies among undergraduate nursing students. The aim of this study was therefore to assess if this serious digital game, originally intended for the public, could increase knowledge about dementia in first-year nursing students. Methods The intervention was a digital serious game called “The Dementia Game”, which was available to students throughout February 2021, to a convenience sample of first-year undergraduate nursing students (n = 560) completing a BSc Honours Nursing Degree programme in one university in Northern Ireland. The game was evaluated using a pretest-posttest design. The questionnaire comprised of a 30- item true- false Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS), which covers risk factors, assessment and diagnosis, symptoms, course, life impact, caregiving and treatment and management. Data were analysed using paired t-tests and descriptive statistics. Results Overall dementia knowledge increased significantly after playing the game. Pre-test to post-test increases were observed across a range of seven categories of dementia knowledge (life impact, risk factors, symptoms, treatment, assessment, caregiving and trajectory), with particularly large increases in knowledge of trajectory and risk factors, as shown using paired t-tests. All pre-test to post-test comparisons were significant at the p < 0.001 level. Conclusions A short serious digital game on dementia improved first-year student’s knowledge about dementia. Undergraduate students also expressed that this approach to dementia education was effective in improving their knowledge about the disease. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T09:03:58Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b8eb7c7bb891460fabcf3636b6a29ed3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6955 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T09:03:58Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Nursing |
| spelling | doaj.art-b8eb7c7bb891460fabcf3636b6a29ed32023-05-28T11:12:25ZengBMCBMC Nursing1472-69552023-05-012211810.1186/s12912-023-01345-2Evaluation of a dementia awareness game for undergraduate nursing students in Northern Ireland: a Pre-/Post-Test studyStephanie Craig0Patrick Stark1Christine Brown Wilson2Gillian Carter3Sonya Clarke4Gary Mitchell5School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University BelfastSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University BelfastSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University BelfastSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University BelfastSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University BelfastSchool of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen’s University BelfastAbstract Introduction Although it is possible to live well with dementia and many individuals with dementia lead active lives with the help of family, friends, and communities, the general impression of dementia is frequently negative. Dementia is a global health issue. Despite this, little research has been done on the effects of innovative dementia education strategies among undergraduate nursing students. The aim of this study was therefore to assess if this serious digital game, originally intended for the public, could increase knowledge about dementia in first-year nursing students. Methods The intervention was a digital serious game called “The Dementia Game”, which was available to students throughout February 2021, to a convenience sample of first-year undergraduate nursing students (n = 560) completing a BSc Honours Nursing Degree programme in one university in Northern Ireland. The game was evaluated using a pretest-posttest design. The questionnaire comprised of a 30- item true- false Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS), which covers risk factors, assessment and diagnosis, symptoms, course, life impact, caregiving and treatment and management. Data were analysed using paired t-tests and descriptive statistics. Results Overall dementia knowledge increased significantly after playing the game. Pre-test to post-test increases were observed across a range of seven categories of dementia knowledge (life impact, risk factors, symptoms, treatment, assessment, caregiving and trajectory), with particularly large increases in knowledge of trajectory and risk factors, as shown using paired t-tests. All pre-test to post-test comparisons were significant at the p < 0.001 level. Conclusions A short serious digital game on dementia improved first-year student’s knowledge about dementia. Undergraduate students also expressed that this approach to dementia education was effective in improving their knowledge about the disease.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01345-2DementiaNurse educationNursing studentSerious gamePedagogical researchConstructivist pedagogy |
| spellingShingle | Stephanie Craig Patrick Stark Christine Brown Wilson Gillian Carter Sonya Clarke Gary Mitchell Evaluation of a dementia awareness game for undergraduate nursing students in Northern Ireland: a Pre-/Post-Test study BMC Nursing Dementia Nurse education Nursing student Serious game Pedagogical research Constructivist pedagogy |
| title | Evaluation of a dementia awareness game for undergraduate nursing students in Northern Ireland: a Pre-/Post-Test study |
| title_full | Evaluation of a dementia awareness game for undergraduate nursing students in Northern Ireland: a Pre-/Post-Test study |
| title_fullStr | Evaluation of a dementia awareness game for undergraduate nursing students in Northern Ireland: a Pre-/Post-Test study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Evaluation of a dementia awareness game for undergraduate nursing students in Northern Ireland: a Pre-/Post-Test study |
| title_short | Evaluation of a dementia awareness game for undergraduate nursing students in Northern Ireland: a Pre-/Post-Test study |
| title_sort | evaluation of a dementia awareness game for undergraduate nursing students in northern ireland a pre post test study |
| topic | Dementia Nurse education Nursing student Serious game Pedagogical research Constructivist pedagogy |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-023-01345-2 |
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