Sepsis Fast Track: A simulation game for Clinical education based on the Sepsis Fast Track protocol

Abstract

Sepsis is a serious medical condition responsible for high levels of in-hospital mortality. It requires fast diagnosis and treatment, since the survival rate decreases 7.6% for every hour without treatment. In order to facilitate this process of diagnosis and medical therapy, the Portuguese Directorate-General of Health issued a document regulating the implementation of a Sepsis Fast Track protocol based on the Surviving Sepsis Campaign guidelines. Training of emergency department healthcare professionals is essential, and should be attended regularly in order to refresh knowledge and to be made aware of updates to any changes of the protocol. Currently, this training is conducted through traditional learning methods often considered as outdated for the younger generation, the so-called "digital natives". The usage of serious games is a trend that has been considered when discussing new tools for teaching and training in various fields, including healthcare. Several research works on the impact of applying such technologies in healthcare, stating that serious games could provide new approaches and opportunities have been published. This paper presents the Sepsis Fast Track serious game. It is a serious game developed to teach and train nurses and physicians working in hospital Emergency Departments on the Sepsis Fast Track protocol. An evaluation study carried out with the healthcare professionals is also presented. The main goal of which was to evaluate the impact of serious games on professional working practices.