Effectiveness of a Game-Based Mobile App for Educating Intensive Critical Care Specialist Nurses in Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation Pipeline Preflushing: Quasi-Experimental Trial

Abstract

Background: In the context of training specialist nurses and nursing education, a game-based mobile app was used as a simulation to teach intensive critical care specialist nurses the knowledge and skills of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) pipeline preflushing. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a game-based mobile app on improving ECMO pipeline preflushing skills in intensive critical care specialist nurses. Methods: A total of 86 intensive critical care specialist nurses who were learning ECMO for the first time were included in this study. The nurses were divided into 2 groups: a control group (n=43) and an experimental group (n=43). Participants in the experimental group used a game-based mobile app for simulation exercises; the control group received no additional intervention. All participants took a theoretical test and a skill operation test at the beginning of the study and 1 week later. The differences in scores between the 2 groups were compared, and the learning curve of the experimental group was observed. Results: The final theoretical test scores (88.44 and 85.02) and skill operation test scores (89.42 and 86.33) of the experimental group and control group, respectively, were significantly higher than those of the initial tests (theoretical test scores: 75.88 and 74.42; skill operation test scores: 75.44 and 75.93; all P