title: Use of an Online Game to Evaluate Health Professions Students' Attitudes toward People in Poverty.
abstract: Objective.To determine baseline attitudes of pharmacy, physician assistant studies, and communication science and disorders students toward people in poverty and to examine the effectiveness of using the online poverty simulation game SPENT to affect these attitudes.Methods.Students completed pre/postassessments using the validated Undergraduate Perceptions of Poverty Tracking Survey (UPPTS). Students played the online, open access, SPENT game alone and/or in pairs in a 50-minute class.Results.Significant improvements in scale scores were seen in students after playing SPENT. Quartile results by prescore indicated that students with the lowest attitudes towards patients in poverty improved the most. Results suggested that most students found the experience worthwhile for themselves and/or for their classmates.Conclusions.The results of this study suggest SPENT may improve perspectives of undergraduate pharmacy and other health professions students.
authors.affiliation: Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Carriann E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Richey Smith
authors.affiliation: Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Priscilla
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ryder
authors.affiliation: Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bilodeau
authors.affiliation: Butler University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Indianapolis, Indiana.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schultz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003479:Curriculum; D004512:Education, Pharmacy; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D005717:Games, Experimental; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology*; D013337:Students, Medical; D013338:Students, Nursing; D013339:Students, Pharmacy / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: inter-professional education; poverty; serious game; simulation; student attitude