How Serious Games for Health Enhance Empowerment-Related Patient Education: The Impact of Gender
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How Serious Games for Health Enhance EmpowermentRelated Patient Education: The Impact of Gender Gianvito D’Aprile1 · Maria Beatrice Ligorio2 · Antonio Ulloa Severino1
© Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature 2017
Abstract Based on behavioral science assumptions, the main purpose of this study is to validate a theoretical model of the relationship between serious game play, patient empowerment and health-related behaviors. We first hypothesized that serious games for health enhanced patients’ empowerment-related education; second, we expected that gender may influence such an educational model. To test our hypotheses, 124 Italian young diabetics (Mean age = 14.12 years old, SD = 2.14; 59.67% female) were involved in the research study named “Tako Dojo”. After participating to a training session about the use of the serious game for diabetes, they filled in a questionnaire that included several scales of game experience, patient empowerment and adherence-related behaviors. Multiple regression analysis partially confirmed our hypotheses. First, it pointed out that serious game for health directly supported the patients’ empowerment and their therapeutic adherence indirectly. Then, it showed that patients’ gender influenced the game-based patient empowerment. To conclude, some relevant theoretical issues concerning the gamebased patient education and practical implications about the game design in the healthcare contexts were highlighted. Keywords Serious game · Patient empowerment · Health-related behavior · Gender · Quantitative methodology
1 Introduction The academic literature proposes that digital game-based learning environments may be considered as the new media for learning and teaching (Gee 2004). Indeed, digital gamebased learning environments are able to grasp new and integrated forms of experiential, & Gianvito D’Aprile [email protected] 1
Grifo Multimedia S.r.l., Bari, Italy
2
Universita` degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy
123
G. D’Aprile et al.
social, constructivist, and situated learning, which both exploit the potential of Information and Communication Technologies and allow a diverse way of experiential training (D’Aprile et al. 2015; Pannese and Carlesi 2007). Digital game-based learning environments could enhance three main areas, namely: learners’ motivation; collaborative learning environment supporting learners’ engagement; and conventional instruction methods in the educational and organizational contexts (Norradin and Kian 2015). Thus, the digital gamebased learning environments put learners at the center of the learning experience, changing their position from passive cognitive containers to active participants as well as real actors of their learning path (D’Aprile et al. 2015). Such assumptions could be crucial to address the care needs in the healthcare sector. In fact, the social actors (i.e., politicians, health and social care professionals, researchers, and so on) are increasingly committed to redesign the network of health and social
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