Abstract
BackgroundThe uptake of improvement initiatives in infection prevention and control (IPC) has often proven challenging. Innovative interventions such as ‘serious games’ have been proposed in other areas to educate and help clinicians adopt optimal behaviours. There is limited evidence about the application and evaluation of serious games in IPC. The purposes of the study were: a) to synthesise research evidence on the use of serious games in IPC to support healthcare workers’ behaviour change and best practice learning; and b) to identify gaps across the formulation and evaluation of serious games in IPC.MethodsA scoping study was conducted using the methodological framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley. We interrogated electronic databases (Ovid MEDLINE, Embase Classic + Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, Cochrane, Google Scholar) in December 2015. Evidence from these studies was assessed against an analytic framework of intervention formulation and evaluation.ResultsNine hundred sixty five unique papers were initially identified, 23 included for full-text review, and four finally selected. Studies focused on intervention inception and development rather than implementation. Expert involvement in game design was reported in 2/4 studies. Potential game users were not included in needs assessment and game development. Outcome variables such as fidelity or sustainability were scarcely reported.ConclusionsThe growing interest in serious games for health has not been coupled with adequate evaluation of processes, outcomes and contexts involved. Explanations about the mechanisms by which game components may facilitate behaviour change are lacking, further hindering adoption.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13756-016-0137-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
The uptake of improvement initiatives in infection prevention and control (IPC) has often proven challenging
Inclusion criteria included: 1) papers published up to present, 2) English language, 3) focus on inception, development, implementation, and/or evaluation of serious game interventions in IPC or Healthcare associated infection (HCAI) prevention and 4) interventions aimed at healthcare workers (HCWs)
Principal findings In summary, we identified four published experiences related to game-based behavioural interventions in IPC
Summary
The uptake of improvement initiatives in infection prevention and control (IPC) has often proven challenging Innovative interventions such as ‘serious games’ have been proposed in other areas to educate and help clinicians adopt optimal behaviours. Healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) affect millions of patients worldwide with significant economic and human costs [1, 2] To address this challenge, healthcare organisations have implemented multiple improvement strategies with varying success [3]. Engaging healthcare workers (HCWs) in sustained best practice remains a challenge For such reason, the exploration of individual [9] and social motivations [10, 11], and the consideration of organisational contexts [12] has been suggested as beneficial for the effective adoption of behaviour change strategies. Game users enjoy interacting with games because they can fulfil psychological needs such as control, autonomy and a sense of achievement [14]
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