Training experience: Suicide prevention scape room for primary health care workers

Mª Guadalupe Fontanet Redó, Pastora María Jimenez García, Alicia Covadonga Delgado Cortina, Anna Sagués Terol, Antonia Raya Tena, María Del Rocio Albuixech García, Marta Sallerès Crous, Angela Chaves Furriol

Keywords: Gamification training, Attitude of health personnel, Primary Health Care, Suicidal Behavior

Background:

Suicide is a significant public health issue that can be prevented. Primary Health Care plays a crucial role in the community, positioning itself strategically for detection, prevention, and follow-up. Training on this topic is essential to empower professionals. A gamified training experience was conducted at the Primary Health Care Center (CAP) Dr. Lluís Sayé, targeting both healthcare and non-healthcare professionals from SAP Litoral of Barcelona.

Research questions:

How does a gamified training intervention impact the self-reported knowledge, skills, and confidence of Primary Health Care professionals in addressing suicide risk, and what is their level of satisfaction with this training experience?

Method:

This study was a quasi-experimental pre-post intervention study without a control group. Participants completed a questionnaire on their mobile phones using a QR code, both before and after engaging in five different game-simulations focused on suicide prevention. The groups were compared to evaluate their self-reported changes in knowledge, skills, self-efficacy in addressing suicide, and satisfaction with the training method. Data analysis was performed using Chi-squared, Wilcoxon, and McNemar's tests to determine the statistical significance of the observed changes.

Results:

A total of 81 participants took part in the study, with 77.8% being women, an average age of 43.46 years, and an average of 13.8 years of work experience. Of the participants, 69.1% were healthcare workers. Before the intervention, 33.3% felt qualified to approach suicidal behavior, which significantly increased to 80.24% after completing the training (p<0.05). Perceived knowledge, skills, and confidence also showed significant improvements post-training (p<0.05). However, changes in myth-related questions were not significant. Satisfaction with the training was rated 4.86 out of 5.

Conclusions:

The positive results of this intervention, along with the high satisfaction and acceptance by primary care professionals, highlight the need to implement and expand these methods in primary care organizations and teams.

Points for discussion:

Effectiveness of Gamified Training in Enhancing Competence

Training primary health professionals in addressing suicide risk

Implications for Training Methods in Healthcare

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