Critical Transport

International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 4(4), 71-93, October-December 2014 71 Critical Transport: A Serious Game to Teach the Recommendations for the Transport of Critically Ill Patients Claudia Ribeiro, INESC-ID, Instituto Superior Te´cnico, Universidade Te´cnica de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal Tiago Antunes, INESC-ID, Instituto Superior Te´cnico, Universidade Te´cnica de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal João Pereira, INESC-ID, Instituto Superior Te´cnico, Universidade Te´cnica de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal Micaela Monteiro, Serviço de Urgeˆncia Geral Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Ocidental, Lisbon, Portugal ABSTRACT At present, medical knowledge is experiencing an exponential growth. This results in serious difficulties to healthcare professionals in keeping up to date. At the same time, medical education is mostly taught using traditional learning methodologies, not always the most efficient. Recently however, there has been a significant increase in the use of computer games for both teaching and training as several published studies are showing that serious games can be more efficient when compared to traditional learning methodologies. Although the current number of serious games used in medical education is still very limited, the authors agree that it’s application could lead to the improvement of medical knowledge and skills. This paper describes the serious game Critical Transport which is based on the Portuguese Society of Intensive Care’s recommendations for the transport of critically ill patients, as well as the results of a pre/post-test study focused in determining the Critical Transport serious game efficiency as a training tool for training medical students. Keywords: Computer Games, Critical Transport, Portuguese Society of Intensive Care, Serious Game, Traditional Learning Methodologies INTRODUCTION a major challenge for healthcare professionals, from the very beginning of medical school. Most Healthcare is one of the most important topics of these professionals need practical experience across the globe and it is considered a priority by without putting themselves or others at risk. political decision makers. The everyday expo- This principle holds in many medical areas, nential increase in medical knowledge results in such as medical decision making, behavioural DOI: 10.4018/ijgbl.2014100105 Copyright © 2014, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited. 72 International Journal of Game-Based Learning, 4(4), 71-93, October-December 2014 training, and others, involving dynamism and Serious games have been used successfully complexity (Ribeiro et al., 2012). as a means to engage patients behaviorally Traditional medical education, mainly to improve their health outcomes (Høiseth et teacher-focused and based on reading, listening al., 2013; Hernandez et al., 2012; Kato, 2010) or watching, has proved insufficient in adult as early reports of case studies, using video education as well as inadequate for teaching both games with patients experiencing diseases or technical and soft skills. It has been reported physical disabilities, have shown (Kato et al., that physicians make mistakes to such an extent 2008; Krichevets et al., 1994; Szer, 1983). that medical errors can be counted amongst the Nevertheless, there is still a lack of equally leading causes of death in the United States successful examples used in formal medical (Institute of Medicine, 2001; Kohn et al., 1999). education. Several authors (Graafland et al., Moreover, there is also an increasing aware- 2012; de Wit-Zuurendonk & Oei, 2011), (Kato, ness of the importance of creating a learning 2010) have conducted systematic reviews on environment that approaches real life as much the use of serious games for medical education as possible through simulation and immersive and concluded that there is a lack of scientific realities, especially in a safety-critical area like evidence of its efficiency and effectiveness. medicine. This is compromising the adoption of serious Rethinking medical education must include games in medical education. the opportunities offered by new information In this paper we present the results of a technologies as well as important cognitive one year experiment using a serious game style changes of the new generation of trainees, in formal medical education classes in an the so-called digital natives. Technological academic hospital. This paper describes the innovations, such as virtual reality simulation Critical Transport serious game, which aim is to and e-learning applications, have led to con- teach the recommendations for the transport of sistent improvements in learning outcomes, critically ill patients, elaborated by Portuguese and already play an important role in surgical Society of Intensive Care, to undergraduate residency training programes (Schreuder et medical students. This game uses video game al., 2011; Cook et al., 2011; Thijssen and Schi- technology in order to establish a link be- jven, 2010; Marks et al., 2007). Video games tween a framework computer-based case with known as “Serious Games” have attracted a e-learning functionalities. In order to achieve lot of interest in recent years, as a possible this, different clinical cases are presented, using solution to answer the challenges currently computer graphics techniques, and they must faced by medical education. A serious game is be solved following the recommendations for formally defined as an ’interactive computer the transport of critically ill patients in order application, with or without significant hard- to guarantee a safe transport of the patients. ware component, that has a challenging goal, Also, in this paper, we will present and discuss is fun to play and engaging, incorporates some the results of the study conducted during three scoring mechanism, and supplies the user with formal classes. The objective of the study was skills, knowledge or attitudes useful in reality’ to conclude if the Critical Transport serious (Bergeron, 2006). Serious games differ from game is an effective educational and training conventional video games and simulators in tool for training medical students. the sense that they are designed to provide a The remaining sections of this paper are balanced combination between fun and learn- organized as follows: Section II presents the ing. Balancing these two factors is one the main state-of-the-art of serious games for medical challenges currently faced by the serious game education. In section III the design and peda- researcher community (Khaled & Ingram, 2012; gogical considerations taken into account while Isbister et al., 2010; Malone, 1980). developing Critical Transport are reported. In Section IV the Critical Transport serious games Copyright © 2014, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.  21 more pages are available in the full version of this document, which may be purchased using the "Add to Cart" button on the product's webpage: www.igi-global.com/article/critical- transport/121795?camid=4v1 This title is available in InfoSci-Journals, InfoSci-Journal Disciplines Library Science, Information Studies, and Education. 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