An Exploratory Study on the v-Care Interprofessional Online Game for Healthcare Students

BACKGROUND lnterprofessional education is a core competence of health care education to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes [1] (lnterprofessional Education Collaborative Expert Panel, 2011). Numerous initiatives were implemented, including the Freshman Seminar for Broad Disciplines in Health Science (FS) in the undergraduate curriculum. IPE was explicitly listed in the FS intended learning outcomes to (1) understand the professional identity of the learners' own discipline and the other professional's roles on the health care team; and (2) Identify innovative strategies in managing selected major health issues implement using an interprofessional (IP) collaborations approach; and (3) reflect on the experience on interprofessional learning and its implications on lifelong learning and career development. Starting from 2002/23 academic year, this subject was replaced by artificial intelligence and data analytics (AIDA). Since IP is an integral part of the curriculum, implementing IPE under other teaching modes (such as gamification, peer-learning or learner-directed) must be reconsidered.

Motivational gamification is a strategy rooted in the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), gamification and micro-learning are the merits much preferred by the millennials in learning. This strategy leverages on the millennial characteristics that technology has been embedded to their daily life, they enjoy fun and games and are motivated by immediate positive rewards, such as points and badges. Furthermore, they have relatively shorter attention span and enjoy simulation in virtual environments with high quality visuals and graphics. Game features such as click-to-reveal, drag-and-drop, pop quizzes tend to engage the millennial learners. As such, the proposed project is feasible to improve the learning experience and possibly learning outcomes.

AIM To evaluate the effectiveness and impact of interprofessional learning of health faculty students using a multi-player point-and-click on line motivational game. A pretest-posttest non-equivalent waitlist control group design was employed.

METHOD Convenience sampling was adopted to recruit subjects. Inclusion criteria - Participants were recruited from the students who had enrolled in the nursing, physiotherapy and radiography subjects. Students retaking the subject will be excluded from the study.

They were assigned into two study groups according to the tutorial teaching schedule: the control and the experimental groups. The Control group attended the usual teaching activities: paper case study, whereas the intervention group participated in the vCare eGame (intervention). Surveys will be implemented before any learning activities, and at the same time for both groups after the intervention group completed the vCare eGame.