A Blended Gaming COVID-19 Training System (BGCTS) With WHO Guidelines for Staff in Residential Care Homes

Summary

188 healthcare personnel from 20 residential care homes (RCHs) will be recruited to assess the effect of 2-week implementation of Blended Gaming COVID-19 Training System (BGCTS) on RCH staffs' infection control practices. These clusters (RCHs) will be randomly allocated to two study groups (the intervention group, IG; and the control group, CG) to assess 1. whether more staff in the IG perform infection control practices (by on-site observations) than the staff in the CG after receiving BGCTS and 2. whether more staff in the IG have infection control knowledge, positive attitudes towards infection control, and self-reported compliance rates than the staff in the CG. 5 Hypothesis have been set up for this study:

H1. After using BGCTS, a higher proportion of the staff in the IG will exhibit performance in complying with hand hygiene measures than those in the CG.

H2. After using BGCTS, a higher proportion of the staff in the IG will exhibit performance in complying with other infection control practices than those in the CG.

H3. After using BGCTS, a higher proportion of the staff in the IG will have high level of knowledge of infection control than those in the CG.

H4. After using BGCTS, a higher proportion of the staff in the IG will have positive attitudes towards infection control than those in the CG.

H5. After using BGCTS, a higher proportion of the staff in the IG will have a high self-reported compliance rate with infection control measures than those in the CG.

Infection control practices conducted by RCH staffs will be measured through unobtrusive on-site non-participatory observations. RCH staffs' knowledge, attitudes about infection control practice, and self-reported infection control practices will be assessed via an electronic quiz.

Conditions

• Infection Control
• COVID-19

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Blended Gaming COVID-19 Training System (BGCTS)

BGCTS is a blended training programme integrated with games and short video clips for Residential Care Home staffs to learn the principles of infection control and reinforce actions needed to stop the spread of COVID-19 within the RCHs, and to care for those residents suspected of having COVID-19. The contents of the training will refer to the evidence-based contents from The COVID-19 Risk Communication Package For Healthcare Facilities. Dosage of the intervention. Staffs are encouraged to learn each topic independently in 15 minutes. It will take a total of 120 minutes to complete all eight topics in 2 weeks. Staffs will attend two 30-minute face-to-face group sessions conducted by research nurse (and the Infection Control Officer of the RCH) to clarify concepts (one per week; after playing the games). Scores and progress bar will be shown to the staff so as a form of motivation to encourage continuous participation in the training.

BEHAVIORAL

Usual care, infection control briefing

Participants in the CG will receive usual care, the infection control briefing given by the Infection Control Officer (ICO) of the RCHs to all staffs. Usually the briefing is irregular, non-standardized and determined by ICOs, depending on when the ICOs receive the information about infection control practice from Centre for Health Protection of the Hong Kong government. The format and duration of this briefing is determined by the ICO. Some ICOs deliver the infection control information in the form of posters or a written document, and circulate these materials to all staffs.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Angela Leung, PhD · The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

65 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-06-01

Primary Completion

2022-03-31

Completion

2022-03-31

Countries

• Hong Kong

Study Locations