Computer game helps health workers combat Covid spread
Computer game helps health workers combat Covid spread
Computer game helps health workers combat Covid spread
May 12, 2021
Summary
Swiss health workers busy fighting the pandemic are being encouraged to unwind with a computer game that offers not only distraction but also knowledge to battle Covid-19 in real life.
Players of "Escape Covid-19" are guided through a series of scenarios that health workers at hospitals and long-term care facilities encounter on a daily basis.
Seated alongside emergency response workers fielding alerts at the Geneva University Hospitals, Doctor Melanie Suppan demonstrates how it works.
Once she has tested negative and gets into work, the game gets more complicated.
Researchers at the HUG developed the "Serious game", which is available online in French, German, Italian, and English, to help healthcare workers internalise the best practices for avoiding outbreaks on the job.
A study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research earlier this month indicated that the game was far more effective than regular information manuals in inspiring behavioural change among staff.
It involved nearly 300 emergency room workers in Geneva who were either provided with written material about the proper procedures to follow or asked to play the computer game.
After a while, it became clear that asymptomatic health workers were spreading the virus too, and often to non-Covid patients.
"The game has helped us do that."
He said, the game deserved some of the credit for the dramatic drop in hospital-sparked Covid infections in recent months.
Reference
Computer game Helps health WORKERS combat COVID spread. HT Tech. (2021, May 12). https://tech.hindustantimes.com/gaming/news/computer-game-helps-health-workers-combat-covid-spread-71620837074370.html