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An online serious game improves clinical reasoning skills of dietetic students
Abstract   Peer reviewed

An online serious game improves clinical reasoning skills of dietetic students

Hattie H Wright, Judith Tweedie and Theresa Ashford
Nutrition & dietetics, Vol.76(Supplement 1), p.39
Dietitians Association of Australia 36th National Conference: More Than Meets the Eye (Gold Coast, Australia, 12-Aug-2019–14-Aug-2019)
2019
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1747-0080.12567
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https://doi.org/10.1111/1747-0080.12567View
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Abstract

Food Sciences Nutrition and Dietetics Public Health and Health Services
Clinical reasoning is central to the practice of all health professionals, including dietitians. These skills are best fostered in the clinical setting under supervision of clinical educators, however, there is a need for improved reasoning skills of dietetic students prior to placement due to increasing complex learning environments. This study reports on the evaluation of an online serious game to improve clinical reasoning skills in nutrition care planning of pre-placement dietetic students and the effect of the game on confidence in nutrition care planning. Third year dietetic students enrolled into a medical nutrition therapy course (n = 43) were eligible for inclusion to this study. A pre-post intervention study evaluated higher and lower level clinical reasoning using two validated quizzes based on the Key Feature Approach. Confidence in nutrition care planning was assessed after the intervention with a survey using open-ended questions. Forty-two students completed the pre-game and 33 the post-game quiz and survey. Scores improved relating to the ability to discriminate information (50 vs 95%, P < 0.01), prioritise problems (24 vs 41%, P < 0.05) and develop an appropriate intervention plan (42 vs 57%, P < 0.05) after the game. Overall student grades in intervention planning improved after the game with less failing and more achieving distinctions/higher distinctions (r2 = 13.85, P < 0.01). Main themes identified from open-ended questions were improved self-confidence due to a real-life learning experience, ability to reflect on performance and discriminating information. In conclusion, an online serious game provided an authentic learning experience and positively impacted dietetic students lower and higher-level clinical reasoning skills.

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