Quiz Your Staff With Mobile Apps

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Gamification is making learning new protocols easier according to experts who use mobile quizzes to increase information retention among hospital staff.

Learning new information is made more fun for healthcare professionals through gamification according to mHealth Intelligence. A gaming platform developed by Qstream allows hospital staff to use online and mobile devices to improve knowledge retention and proficiency through quizzes.

“It’s simple, effective and fun,” says Mary Hallice, Qstream’s healthcare practice lead. “Interval reinforcement is a proven way to increase knowledge retention. In the medical field where (clinicians) must take in and retain a lot of information, a reinforcement method that’s engaging and conveniently available has tremendous benefits to both learning and on-the-job performance.”

According to Fierce Mobile Healthcare, these Qstream online quizzes are in use at 14 the top 15 global pharma companies, seven of the 10 top tier medical device companies, and several health systems. The Qstream team is able to work with each of these entities to create quizzes that focus on specific content and allow staff to take them individually or as a team.

Jeffrey Wright, clinical research coordinator at Inova Fairfax Medical Center, has used the quizzes as a training tool for residents. “They’re getting a lot of information all the time, and they’re always on the go,” he says. He also explained the quizzes not only show what the residents are retaining, but also how well the medical center is training them.

Clinicians in the Cancer Research Center at the University of Lyon in France saw dermoscopy proficiency jump from a 66 percent to 94 percent after using a specifically made quiz. “We needed a more effective way to teach dermoscopy. It needed to be easy, accessible, and adaptable to the physicians’ activity and workload,” Amélie Boespflug, MD, of the Cancer Research Center of Lyon, said in a press release. “Qstream’s adaptive algorithm and compelling game mechanics proved to be a powerfully simple way to engage busy dermatologists, and boost retention of important information for practical use on the job.”