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

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 (chi(2) = 4.085, p=.043) and protective clothing (chi(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.