Rounds
Game Changer
Video-game simulation fosters better communication between doctors and nurses
Jennifer Gray, associate dean and George W. and Hazel M. Jay Professor of Nursing, received a D Magazine 2015 Excellence in Nursing award, honoring nurses who have made a difference in the lives of their patients and colleagues. She was profiled in the March issue of the magazine.
In emergency situations, clear communication between medical personnel can determine whether a patient lives or dies.
That’s why the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Baylor Scott & White Health, and UT Dallas created GLIMPSE, a video-game simulation that teaches physicians and nurses to work more collaboratively by playing out tense situations in a virtual world.
GLIMPSE, or Game to Learn Important Communications Methods for Patient Safety Enhancement, offers situational learning and perspective sharing through audio, video, and 3-D virtual gameplay.
To build it, researchers gathered feedback about positive and negative workplace communication from Baylor nurses and physicians. After the game was complete, the team invited them to play the roles of doctor and nurse and evaluated them to see if the game helped their knowledge.
Beth Mancini, associate dean of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation, was principal investigator for the nearly $1 million grant from the U.S. Agency for Healthcare and Research Quality.
The project received two national awards at the fourth annual Serious Games and Virtual Environments Arcade and Showcase during the 2014 International Meeting on Simulation in Healthcare (IMSH) in San Francisco.
The honors included a best-in-show award in the academic faculty category and a fourth-place award in the technology innovations division.
“Our hope is that GLIMPSE will enhance patient safety and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes,” Dr. Mancini says. “Being honored by the judges at the IMSH tells us that the virtual learning environment we’ve built is among the very best in terms of content and design.”