Showing items 1 - 4 of 4

Educational gaming in the health sciences: systematic review

- Blakely, Gillian, Skirton, Heather, Cooper, Simon J., Allum, Peter

  • Authors: Blakely, Gillian , Skirton, Heather , Cooper, Simon J. , Allum, Peter
  • Date: 2009
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Journal of Advanced Nursing Vol. 65, no. 2 (2009), p. 259-269
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  • Description: Title.Educational gaming in the health sciences: systematic review. Aim. This paper is a report of a review to investigate the use of games to support classroom learning in the health sciences. Background. One aim of education in the health sciences is to enable learners to develop professional competence. Students have a range of learning styles and innovative teaching strategies assist in creating a dynamic learning environment. New attitudes towards experiential learning methods have contributed to the expansion of gaming as a strategy. Data sources. A search for studies published between January 1980 and June 2008 was undertaken, using appropriate search terms. The databases searched were: British Education Index, British Nursing Index, The Cochrane Library, CINAHLPlus, Medline, PubMed, ERIC, PsychInfo and Australian Education Index. Methods. All publications and theses identified through the search were assessed for relevance. Sixteen papers reporting empirical studies or reviews that involved comparison of gaming with didactic methods were included. Results. The limited research available indicates that, while both traditional didactic methods and gaming have been successful in increasing student knowledge, neither method is clearly more helpful to students. The use of games generally enhances student enjoyment and may improve long-term retention of information. Conclusion. While the use of games can be viewed as a viable teaching strategy, care should be exercised in the use of specific games that have not been assessed objectively. Further research on the use of gaming is needed to enable educators to gaming techniques appropriately for the benefit of students and, ultimately, patients.

Expert clinical examiner's decision processes in objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs); is intuition a valid and reliable decision strategy?

- Cooper, Simon J., Bradbury, Martyn, Blakely, Gillian

  • Authors: Cooper, Simon J. , Bradbury, Martyn , Blakely, Gillian
  • Date: 2009
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: International Journal of Clinical Skills Vol. 3, no. 3 (2009), p. 140-146
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  • Description: Objective: To quantify the relationship between examiners’ global rating and checklist scores and to identify the factors influencing examiners’ decisions in Masters Level Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs). Methods: A quantitative and qualitative focus group design; including a retrospective review of OSCE results (n = 561) and four focus groups with experienced clinical examiners. Results: There was a strong positive correlation (rho 0.75) between global ratings and checklist scores. However, borderline checklist scores tended to be higher than the global rating category and more experienced examiners tended to allocate lower global ratings (p = ≤0.001). Data obtained from the focus groups helped elucidate the reasons for these findings and suggested that examiners may utilize Recognition Primed Decision Making (RPD) as a method of assessing a candidates overall performance during OSCE. Conclusion: Global rating scales are an appropriate assessment scale and improve the validity and reliability of OSCEs in this setting. Methods for incorporating these findings into future OSCE marking criteria are discussed.

Improving emergency care pathways: an action research approach

- Endacott, Ruth, Cooper, Simon J., Sheaff, Rod, Padmore, Jacqueline, Blakely, Gillian

  • Authors: Endacott, Ruth , Cooper, Simon J. , Sheaff, Rod , Padmore, Jacqueline , Blakely, Gillian
  • Date: 2011
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Emergency Medicine Journal Vol. 28, no. (2011), p. 203-207
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  • Description: Background Clinicians and managers across specialities are under pressure to review treatment and referral pathways to enable evidence-based practice, improve patient flow and provide a seamless service. This study outlines the processes and outcomes of an action research study conducted to reduce inappropriate attendances and unplanned pressures on Emergency Department (ED) staff in an English hospital during 2006e2008. Methods Action research, comprising three action/ reflection cycles conducted with participants, was used. Data were collected using retrospective patient record review (n¼35 200) interviews with staff members (n¼28), observation of patient pathways (n¼38 patients) and measurement of team climate (n¼31) with literature reviews also informing each cycle of data collection. Results ED attendance and hospital emergency admission data were largely similar to the national picture with regards to time/day of attendance and seasonal variation. However, in the ‘adult majors’ subgroup, mean attendance on a Monday was significantly higher than the rest of the week (p<0.001) and 36% were self-referrals. Observation data revealed that patients were informally assessed by reception staff and directed to majors or minors; this practice was replaced by reinstatement of triage. Patients identified as ‘inappropriate’ were managed inconsistently, irrespective of department workload. ED attendance decreased as the project progressed and the number of attendees resulting in hospital admission rose slightly. Conclusions Study data suggest that inappropriate attendances decreased; however, data collection exposed gaps in the existing management information systems and inconsistencies in working practices in the ED. Action research can have a practical value besides contributing to knowledge.

Use of educational games in the health sciences. A mixed methods study of educators' perspective

- Blakely, Gillian, Skirton, Heather, Cooper, Simon J., Allum, Peter, Nelmes, Pam

  • Authors: Blakely, Gillian , Skirton, Heather , Cooper, Simon J. , Allum, Peter , Nelmes, Pam
  • Date: 2010
  • Type: Text , Journal article
  • Relation: Nursing and Health Sciences Vol. 12, no. 1 (2010), p. 27-32
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  • Description: Educational games have been shown to be effective in supporting learning, especially to reinforce knowledge, and students are generally positive about the use of games. The aim of this mixed methods study that was conducted in the UK was to explore educators' views towards the use of educational games in the health sciences. The data were collected via semistructured interviews with 13 health educators and an online survey that was completed by 97 health educators. Three factors influence the use of classroom games: reflective practice, the impact of games on students, and the impact of logistical factors. Educators assess their own performance and the impact of the games on students when planning their use; however, large classes and the need for preparation time have a negative impact on educators' willingness to use games. Similar constraints might restrict the use of active learning strategies, such as simulation, that are crucial for enabling health professionals to develop competence. These issues require consideration when planning educational methods.
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