Effectiveness of a Game-Based Phone Application in Educating Health Care Workers on the Proper Use of Personal Protective Equipment

Abstract

Objective This study explored the feasibility and effects of a game-based phone application for training health care workers to use personal protective equipment. Method A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted. All participants in the experimental group ( n = 123) and the control group ( n = 125) received 75 minutes of training and were provided with a video and a paper copy of the procedures. Participants in the experimental group used an additional game-based phone application to simulate the procedures. Results Participants in the experimental group practiced a median of 15 times (range, 14–19 times). The learning curve indicated that they needed at least 12 repetitions to master the skill. Score improvements ( Z = −2.257, p = .024) in the experimental group were significantly superior to those in the control group, as were the incidences of procedural errors of hand hygiene (χ 2 = 4.085, p = .043) and protective clothing (χ 2 = 5.394, p = .02). Conclusion The game-based phone application simulation guided participants to practice enough times to master the skill, enhance their skill performance, and reduce the incidence of procedural errors. [ J Contin Educ Nurs . 2022;53(5):212–220.]