The effectiveness of a digital game to improve public perception of dementia: A pretest-posttest evaluation

Abstract

The global impact of dementia is a key healthcare priority, and although it is possible to live well with dementia, public perception is often negative. Serious digital games are becoming a credible delivery method to educate/train individuals in the business and health sectors and to challenge perceptions. The main objective of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a digital game prototype on individual attitudes towards dementia. A digital game to improve public knowledge and understanding about dementia (www.dementiagame.com) was co-designed with people living with dementia and student nurses. The Game was evaluated using a pretest-posttest design. Participants for the evaluation were recruited via social media in one UK university and completed the Approaches to Dementia Questionnaire (ADQ) before and after playing the game. Overall, 457 individuals completed both pre and post test questionnaires. The total ADQ score demonstrated a significant improvement in positive attitudes (p < 0.001), and both subscales of Hope and Recognition of Personhood also saw significant improvements (p < 0.001). The use of a serious digital game has demonstrated a significant effect on the respondents’ perceptions of dementia. Overall, there was a more positive view of the abilities of people with dementia and what their capabilities were. They were also more likely to be recognised as unique individuals with the same values as any other person. The benefit of using digital gaming to improve perceptions of dementia has been demonstrated, nonetheless further research is required to reach a more diverse population and test as a Randomised Control Trial to provide definitive evidence for use in policy and practice.

The mediating role of attitudes towards dementia on the relationship between dementia knowledge and behaviors towards persons with dementia: A cross-sectional study

“…The mean scores for knowledge (15.15) and attitudes (66.65) towards dementia in this study were lower than the mean scores obtained in most previous studies that used the ADKS to measure dementia knowledge [11,19,20,[28][29][30] and ADQ to measure attitudes toward dementia [31][32][33]. One explanation for the lower scores in this study may be the older age of the respondents, which may make it more likely that these participants have retained negative feelings towards dementia because of the stigma associated with the disease [4].…”

“…Therefore, interventions should not only be focused on disease-related knowledge but also on assisting in understanding how to interact with persons with dementia. Understanding can help to resolve fear and provide experiences of successfully coexisting with persons with dementia through various virtual simulation methods or with actual in-person contact [31,40], which can help improve positive attitudes and increase the willingness to interact with persons with dementia. In addition, providing adequate postdiagnosis support and friendly service can help reduce the desire to conceal a family member's diagnosis of dementia.…”

Patterns of unplanned hospital admissions among people with dementia: from diagnosis to the end of life

“…Although the number of people affected by dementia is increasing, understanding of the disease development and progression remains low among the public and healthcare professionals [ 53 , 54 ]. Most hospitals provide training around caring for people with dementia but many do not include specific skills needed for care of those approaching the end of life [ 55 ].…”

“…Lack of confidence by staff and negative attitudes towards dementia in hospitals may lead to poor quality of care [ 56 ]. Opportunities to improve public perception of dementia as a neurodegenerative, terminal illness [ 54 ] and provision of dementia and end-of-life care training for healthcare professionals should be further developed where necessary and adopted by health policy.…”

Exploring nurse and nursing student experience of using an artist-produced photobook to learn about dementia

“…It is therefore important that all healthcare professionals, formal caregivers, and healthcare students receive education about dementia which they can readily apply to their practice [14]. Over the past decade, there have been several innovative approaches to providing education to this population about dementia [15][16][17][18][19][20]. These approaches to nursing education have focused on a wide range of aspects including dementia awareness, communication, diagnosis, person-centred care, promotion of enabling environments, palliative care, family partnerships and evidence-based practice [15][16][17][18][19][20].…”