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 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.

Translating ‘dementia friends’ programme to undergraduate medical and nursing practice: a qualitative exploration

“…In response to these challenges, there have been a range of recent asynchronous learning activities about dementia that have been employed to support student understanding of the condition. For example, a dementia awareness game [ 34 , 35 ] and a dementia photobook [ 36 ] have also been used to foster understanding about dementia in recent years. While these interventions lack face-to-face delivery, their positive findings make them viable alternatives to higher education providers that are not able to implement a programme of this nature.…”

Co-design and mixed methods evaluation of an interdisciplinary digital resource for undergraduate health profession students to improve the prevention, recognition, and management of delirium in Ireland: a study protocol

“…The co-design approach proves invaluable for crafting education resources among student populations, as it actively involves them as end-users. This participatory method empowers students to prioritise and shape the content based on their preferences and specific learning needs, ensuring the resulting resources align closely with their educational requirements and enhance overall engagement [ 34 , 35 ].…”

Employing a serious game intervention to promote adolescent school children’s perceptions of nursing and midwifery professions

“…Gamification involves applying game-design elements and principles in non-game contexts to engage and motivate users towards specific goals. Within this, ‘serious games,’ designed to fulfil educational needs through interactive gameplay, have become recognised as effective tools in healthcare and education settings [ 22 , 23 ]. Unlike entertainment-focused games, serious games are specifically designed to address educational objectives by delivering content in an engaging and interactive format [ 24 ].…”