Education Program for Enhancing Health Care Students' Attitudes Toward People Living With Dementia: Protocol for a Single-Arm Pre-Post Study.

BACKGROUND

Health care students are instrumental in shaping the future of dementia care. Cultivating a positive attitude and understanding toward people living with dementia is crucial for diminishing the stigma associated with the condition, providing effective and person-centered care, and enhancing the quality of life for people living with dementia. Educational programs about dementia are increasingly recognizing the potential of gaming tools.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of gaming-based dementia educational programs in improving attitudes toward people living with dementia among health care students.

METHODS

This single-arm pre-post study will be conducted among health care students in Indonesian universities. This educational program based on gaming tools will consist of a lecture on dementia, the use of N-impro (gaming tool), and the enactment of short dramas depicting desirable and undesirable communication with people living with dementia behaviors. We will assess attitudes toward people living with dementia, intention to help people living with dementia, knowledge of dementia, and the stigma associated with people living with dementia. The gaming-based dementia education program will be integrated into the curriculum of the health care students. The program will be implemented once with a duration of 90 minutes.

RESULTS

Data collection will occur from August 2023 to March 2024. Analysis of the data will be finalized by May 2024, and the outcome will be determined by July 2024. The impact of the gaming-based dementia educational program on improving attitudes toward people living with dementia will be reported. The study findings will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.

CONCLUSIONS

The gaming education program demonstrates significant potential in enhancing attitudes toward people living with dementia across various countries, introducing an innovative method for the community-based support of people living with dementia.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT06122623; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06122623.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/62654.