Standardised ACS discharge and medication education using avatars to prevent 30-day readmission

“Using animation and gaming for most people is a less intimidating way to learn. The science tells us that people can shut down the minute a doctor in a white coat starts talking to them. Throughout the avatar experience there is interaction - there is an element of fun as part of our gaming strategy. If you engage and have fun and praise the people learning, then you are going to get much better outcomes.”

- Clark

Australian data report that up to one in five acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients are readmitted within 30 days. It is estimated that between 2017-18, ACS events cost Australia $1.930 million.

Goal

Improved symptom and response knowledge, improved medication adherence, improved health service attendance, and avoidance of 30-day hospital readmissions.

Aims:

Co-create with consumers and feasibility test, a standardised discharge and medication education using Avatar technology, for patients and families with English as a second language or low health literacy.
Computer program the Avatar to speak the six most frequently spoken languages in Australia; Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian and Greek.
Feasibility test the impact of this discharge strategy on knowledge and 30-day readmission.

Researchers

From Flinders
Professor Robyn Clark
Dr Huiyun Du

Grant Details

Heart Foundation Vanguard Grant - $150,000

Lead Chief Investigator: Professor Robyn Clark

Commenced: April 2020

Currently: In action research app development phase

Completion Due: March 2022

Collaborators

Heart Foundation, Monkey Stack, Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN); Royal Adelaide Hospital, University of Sydney, and Edinburgh Napier University.