Evaluation of the impact of an online video game as an educational intervention on sexual health and the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually transmitted infection: A randomized controlled trial protocol.

Publisher: BioMed Central Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101088679 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1472-6920 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14726920 NLM ISO Abbreviation: BMC Med Educ Subsets: MEDLINE

Original Publication: London : BioMed Central, [2001-

Sex Education* ; Sexual Health*/education ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases*/prevention & control ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases*/diagnosis ; Video Games*; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Primary Health Care ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Multicenter Studies as Topic

Background: The incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is increasing, especially among young people. Tools are needed to increase knowledge about sex education and STI prevention and treatment. Gamification can be a good training tool for both young people and health professionals. The primary objective of this study is to assess the impact of a training intervention on STI prevention, detection, and treatment in primary care professionals.
Methods/design: Multicentre cluster randomized controlled trial. Groups of primary care professionals will receive an intervention (online video game on sex education and STIs [SEXIT]) and will be compared with control groups that will not receive the intervention. Group assignments will be randomized by clusters. The study will consist of a pre-post evaluation of the intervention: a knowledge test will be administered before and after the intervention and 3 months after the intervention. This test will also be carried out on the same time sequence in the control groups. The impact of the training intervention will be assessed over a 6-month period, focusing on various variables associated with the clinical management of STIs. This evaluation entails the clinical records of diagnostic tests and antibiotic prescriptions related to the clinical approach to STIs. The required sample size is 262 (131 per group).
Discussion: Compared with those in the control group, improvements in knowledge and clinical behavioural outcomes after the intervention are expected for participants in the intervention groups. We plan to develop an educational video game to increase the knowledge about sexuality, STIs and violence. Protocol registered at ISRCTN with reference number ISRCTN17783607.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)

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Keywords: Gamification; Health education; Health promotion; Sex education; Sexual health; Sexually transmitted infections

Date Created: 20240826 Date Completed: 20240826 Latest Revision: 20240829

20240830

PMC11348702

10.1186/s12909-024-05903-3

39187824