The Application of Gaming Theory in Health Care

Abstract

As the US health care system moves rapidly toward a population health management focus in communities and care settings, the chief nursing officer has an opportunity to lead innovation efforts for patient care. One innovative strategy for use to influence patient behavior change, ongoing clinical education, and prelicensure education is the application of gaming theory into learning strategies. With the ever-increasing emphasis the general public is placing on social media and online gaming, there has been a significant push by the health sector in recent years to harness this medium for use in health management, education, and behavior change. A number of organizations and insurers have dedicated significant resources to researching and developing games and apps to help patients manage diseases, track self-management activities, and motivate behavior change for healthy lifestyles. This article shares information about gaming theory and its application to health care including a review of the science behind the theory, the use of technology, and gaming education strategies for both patients and clinicians.

Pilot Study of Educational Gaming to Improve Adherence to an End-Tidal Carbon Dioxide Monitoring Protocol

“…In addition, the change was sustained 3 months after the intervention. These results are consistent with a growing body of literature supporting gaming theory as an educational tool (Elzein, Drenkard, Deyo, & Swartwout, 2015;Johnston et al, 2013). Because there was a statistically significant difference in adherence to ETCO2 protocol following completion of the game, it can be inferred that clinicians were more mo-tivated to adhere to the ETCO2 protocol after playing the game.…”

Comparing Educational Outcomes of Online Module-Based Technology with and without Simulation on Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying in Second Semester BSN Students

“…End-of-life preparation needs to be intentional, planned, and incorporated into nursing curricula and hospital orientation programs 3 in order to meet the expectation for highquality EOL care. Interactive online modules and simulation have demonstrated benefits in creating engaging learning experiences, 4 but there is limited research in the literature on the impacts of simulation on attitudes toward care of the dying. A search query was conducted of literature published up to September 2018 using various electronic databases to optimize the identification of appropriate studies.…”