BEDSIDE MANNER EXPERIENCE DEVELOPMENT (BEDMED)
In the United States, there are more than 2.7 million nurses practicing in the healthcare field, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that the projected job growth for registered nurses (RNs) will increase 19% by 2022 [19]. Nurses interact with patients in a number of different ways, from checking vital signs, to administering medications, to taking care of the hygienic needs of patients, especially if they are admitted into the hospital. All of these touch points with patients require well-developed interpersonal skills as patients are constantly re-assessing their healthcare experience and the level of service they are being provided. In other words, nurses must have extremely good “bedside manner.” However, nurses receive very little, if any, education around acquiring and developing bedside manner while in nursing school, and the hectic environment and increased use of technology and patient load often make it difficult for them to develop those practices once on the job. Bedside Manner Experience Development (BedMED) is an online game designed to develop and improve the bedside manner capabilities and practices of pre-service nursing students by simulating the patient care experience so that pre-service nurses can acquire, understand, reflect on, and develop their ability to engage with patients in more caring and meaningful ways in a low stakes game environment.
THE GOALS OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT ARE TO:
1) Better understand and describe the skills and capabilities that inform bedside manner practice
2) Augment the pre-service nursing curriculum of colleges and universities to better support the development and acquisition of bedside manner capabilities and practices among pre-service nursing students
3) Improve the inter-personal care that nurses provide as they are delivering care to patients in various healthcare settings
In the United States, there are more than 2.7 million nurses practicing in the healthcare field, with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reporting that the projected job growth for registered nurses (RNs) will increase 19% by 2022 [19]. Nurses interact with patients in a number of different ways, from checking vital signs, to administering medications, to taking care of the hygienic needs of patients, especially if they are admitted into the hospital. All of these touch points with patients require well-developed interpersonal skills as patients are constantly re-assessing their healthcare experience and the level of service they are being provided. In other words, nurses must have extremely good “bedside manner.” However, nurses receive very little, if any, education around acquiring and developing bedside manner while in nursing school, and the hectic environment and increased use of technology and patient load often make it difficult for them to develop those practices once on the job. Bedside Manner Experience Development (BedMED) is an online game designed to develop and improve the bedside manner capabilities and practices of pre-service nursing students by simulating the patient care experience so that pre-service nurses can acquire, understand, reflect on, and develop their ability to engage with patients in more caring and meaningful ways in a low stakes game environment.
THE GOALS OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT ARE TO:
1) Better understand and describe the skills and capabilities that inform bedside manner practice
2) Augment the pre-service nursing curriculum of colleges and universities to better support the development and acquisition of bedside manner capabilities and practices among pre-service nursing students
3) Improve the inter-personal care that nurses provide as they are delivering care to patients in various healthcare settings