USING VIRTUAL SIMULATION GAMING IN HEALTH SCIENCE EDUCATION: ENHANCING COMPETENCY IN TOBACCO BRIEF INTERVENTIONS

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Szumlanski, Nicole

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thesis

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eng

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smoking, cessation, tobacco, reduction, nursing, education, curriculum, evaluation, virtual, simulation, 5As (Ask, Advise, Assess, Assist, Arrange)

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Background: Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of disease, disability, and death worldwide. Health care professionals (HCP) play a crucial role in motivating clients to reduce or quit tobacco, however, few studies have compared the efficacy of different pedagogical approaches to tobacco education in prelicensure training. This thesis will compare learning outcomes resulting from virtual simulation gaming (VSG) with traditional learning modalities. Methods: To evaluate the impact of a VSG on students’ tobacco brief intervention (TBI) knowledge and communication skills, a prospective, experimental design was used. Ninety health science students (nursing and rehabilitation therapy) were randomized into three intervention groups (virtual lecture (VL) alone; VSG alone or combined VSG and VL). Five main outcomes were measured: student TBI knowledge and communication skills; perceived attitude, confidence, competence, and willingness to use TBI. User traits associated with TBI knowledge and communication skills as well as student perceptions of VSG ease of navigation, relevance to practice and future use were also investigated. Results: Although, no significant difference was documented between type of learning modality and student TBI knowledge and communication skills, self-reported attitude (F (1, 86) =93.91, p < .001), confidence (F (1, 86) =253.10, p < .001), and competence (F (1, 86) =269.81, p < .001) differed before and after students participated in their assigned intervention. There was no difference in willingness (F (1, 86) =10.73, p =.001). When modelling the relationship between TBI knowledge and communication skills and type of learning modality, age, sex, program, tobacco use, and time spend on the written assessment tool (WA), the only significant predictor was time spent on the WA. The more time a student spent on the WA, the lower their overall score (B = -1.11, p=.05). Conclusion: Students strongly agreed that VSG was easily navigated, relevant to practice, and should be utilized for future health science education in health science programs. TBI education and the use of VSG in health science programs has great potential but further critical investigation of associated learning outcomes is warranted.

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