Co-design and evaluation of a digital serious game to promote public awareness about pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic cancer, ranking seventh in global cancer-related deaths, poses a significant public health challenge with increasing incidence and mortality. Most cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage, resulting in low survival rates. Early diagnosis significantly impacts prognosis, making symptom awareness crucial. Symptoms are often subtle, leading to delayed help-seeking behaviour. Patients and their carers prioritise increased public awareness, indicating a need for innovative approaches to promote awareness of the disease. METHODS: This study employed a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design to assess the relationship between a serious game and pancreatic cancer awareness. Members of the public (N = 727) were recruited internationally, via social media and with signposting by relevant organisations. Participants completed measures of symptom awareness and help-seeking intentions before and after playing the game. The serious game, co-designed with experts by lived experience, patient advocates and healthcare professionals, presented participants with a human anatomy diagram, with each section linked to a question about pancreatic cancer. RESULTS: The serious game demonstrated a statistically significant improvement on pancreatic cancer awareness based on matched paired t-tests. Due to missing data, paired comparisons were only possible for 489 cases. Symptom awareness scores exhibited a statistically significant increase from pre-test to post-test, with a large effect size (p < 0.001, d = 1.43). Help-seeking intentions also markedly improved, showing a significant increase from pre-test to post-test, with a large effect size (p < 0.001, d = 1.10). Independent-samples t-tests were also conducted to determine if there were any group differences on pre- to post-test changes based on age, gender, and previous knowledge and/or experience of pancreatic cancer. Participants overwhelmingly endorsed the game's usability and educational value, suggesting its potential as an effective tool for enhancing public awareness and proactive health-seeking behaviour. DISCUSSION: This study is the first to explore a serious game's utility in pancreatic cancer awareness. Results suggest that such interventions can effectively increase public awareness and influence help-seeking intentions. The co-design process ensured content relevance, and participant satisfaction was high. Findings highlight the game's potential as an accessible and convenient tool for diverse populations.

The feasibility of delivering cardiac brief intervention to patients following ST-elevation myocardial infarction: Protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Patients experience emotional distress and hold cardiac misconceptions following ST-elevation myocardial infarction. These issues informed the co-production of Cardiac Brief Intervention with patients and clinicians. The current study will establish a knowledge base for the feasibility of delivering this intervention to patients following ST-elevation myocardial infarction, with a preliminary exploration of impact on associated outcomes (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT05848674). METHODS: A pilot randomised controlled trial incorporating a mixed-methods design will be conducted. Patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (number = 40) will be recruited from coronary care units at two hospital centres in Northern Ireland, with participants randomised (1:1) to the intervention or control group. Cardiac Brief Intervention constitutes a nurse-led, short (20 minutes) emotional and educational support discussion with a patient, with a leaflet that serves as a memory-aid. It will be delivered to the intervention group prior to discharge from a coronary care unit. The control group will receive standard care information. Data will be collected at baseline, post-intervention, 4 weeks from diagnosis, and 14 weeks from diagnosis. Feasibility measurements and process evaluation (quantitative and qualitative) will assess the viability of the research design and intervention delivery. Cardiac rehabilitation attendance data will be collected, and participants will complete questionnaires related to associated outcomes. Quantitative data will be reported with descriptive statistics and qualitative data will be analysed using framework analysis, with data integrated to achieve triangulation of findings. DISCUSSION: Educational and emotional difficulties following ST-elevation myocardial infarction may impede patient outcomes and cardiac rehabilitation participation. These issues informed the co-production of Cardiac Brief Intervention with patients and clinicians. This study will evaluate the feasibility of delivering Cardiac Brief Intervention to patients. These results will inform large-scale definitive testing of the intervention, which may lead to adoption in clinical practice to improve cardiac rehabilitation uptake and patient outcomes.

Key considerations when developing academic writing support for nursing and midwifery doctoral students: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Academic writing is essential to achieve success for doctoral students and is often linked to their academic identity, which could provoke negative emotions leading to the risk of burnout and dropping out of their studies. Although academic writing is a substantial part of doctoral students' learning journey, there are no existing recommendations to guide the provision of effective support addressing nursing and midwifery doctoral students' needs in academic writing. This review aims to identify the key considerations that could facilitate education facilities and educators to provide effective support for academic writing among nursing and midwifery doctoral students, fostering a supportive environment for guidance and development. DESIGN: The review team was co-led by two doctoral students and two academics with all the team members being doctoral students at the School of Nursing and Midwifery in a research-intensive university. Seven databases were searched in February 2022 with an updated search conducted in July 2023. This review was guided by the methodological framework for scoping reviews: PRISMA for Scoping Review Checklist and Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Manual for Evidence Synthesis. A narrative synthesis was conducted to analyse the data. RESULTS: A total of 11 papers were included. Six key considerations for developing effective academic writing support were identified including modes of delivery; barriers to writing; accountability and productivity; building group identity, collegiality and a sense of community; peer review, and behavioural change in writing practice. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlighted that both face-to-face and online writing support groups enhance doctoral students' motivation and confidence in writing. The opportunity of active engagement, sharing writing commitments and short bursts of writing practice is pivotal in promoting doctoral students' writing productivity and satisfaction resulting in a higher on-time completion rate. Future studies should focus on the nursing and midwifery students' educational needs in academic writing.