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NCT Number: NCT07090642

Effect of the MERCI Model in Gamified Disaster Midwifery Education

Midwives play important societal roles during the post-crisis transition and recovery phase. Specific guidelines regarding the roles and responsibilities of midwives, who constitute a significant majority among healthcare professionals, in disaster management need to be developed, and the concept of disaster midwifery needs to be developed. Providing midwife candidates with disaster awareness throughout their undergraduate education will also positively impact individuals' self-efficacy. In recent years, educational plans for emergency obstetric care and management have evolved from traditional theoretical and clinical training to game-based learning, gamification, and training using mannequins and simulators. It is suggested that using different learning strategies in the training of healthcare professionals in emergency obstetric situations will improve the quality of care and reduce maternal mortality rates. Natural disasters such as disasters can cause serious obstetric emergencies requiring immediate intervention and management. Supporting the professional training of midwives, who play important roles and responsibilities in disaster management, with diverse teaching strategies is crucial for enhancing their individual competencies.

This study was planned to investigate the effects of gamified disaster midwifery education on midwifery students' knowledge, self-efficacy in disaster response, and levels of self-confidence and anxiety in clinical decision-making. This experimental study, designed with a randomized pretest, posttest, and follow-up design and a control group, will be conducted with third- and fourth-year midwifery students in the Department of Midwifery at the Health Sciences University (SBU), Hamidiye Faculty of Health Sciences (HSBF), during the spring semester of the 2025-2026 academic year. The sample size was determined using Koca and Arkan's study. Based on a Cohen's d = 1.35 effect size and a power level of 95%, a total of 90 participants were planned, with 45 students in each group. The intervention group will receive a 4-week gamified disaster midwifery training featuring core task cycles, interactive digital escape room games, and bonus tasks. The control group will receive case-based learning on the same subject. Participants included in the study will be administered the "Informed Consent Form," "Introductory Information Form," "Disaster Midwifery Information Form," "Disaster Intervention Self-Efficacy Scale," "Self-Confidence and Anxiety Scale in Clinical Decision Making," and "Gamified Disaster Midwifery Experience Form". Discussions and conclusions of the study will be written based on the findings.

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Key information

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Health Sciences

Istanbul, Turkey (Türkiye)

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Volunteering to participate in the study.
  • Having internet access.
  • Having a smartphone.
  • Having successfully completed a course on normal birth and postpartum.
  • Being an active third-year student in the Midwifery Department of Hamidiye Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Health Sciences.
  • Being an active fourth-year student in the Midwifery Department of Hamidiye Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Health Sciences.

Exclusion criteria

  • Being a 4th-year inactive student in the Midwifery Department of Hamidiye Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Health Sciences.
  • Being a 3rd-year inactive student in the Midwifery Department of Hamidiye Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Health Sciences.

Treatment and study plan

Gamified Disaster Midwifery Training (MERCI Model)

Other

Participants will receive a 4-week gamified disaster midwifery training based on the MERCI model, provided alongside standard theoretical modules. The intervention incorporates digital escape room games, bonus task cycles, and gamification elements such as leaderboards, heroes of the week and badges.

Primary outcomes

  1. Introductory Information Form

    Time frame: 10 minitus

    This form, created by researchers based on literature, includes questions about the participants' age, high school graduation, their self-sufficiency against disasters, etc.

  2. Disaster Midwifery Information Form

    Time frame: 20 minitus

    This form was developed by researchers based on literature and based on the content of the disaster midwifery module used as a theoretical training module. The final version will be finalized based on expert opinion. Twenty multiple-choice questions were prepared, deemed appropriate for the research purpose and educational content. The form's performance will be evaluated out of 100 points. For this purpose, students' total success scores are calculated as five times the number of correct answers. Students will be evaluated by assigning "5" points for each correct answer and "0" points for each incorrect answer. The highest possible score for students on the information form is "100," and the lowest is "0."

  3. Disaster Response Self-Efficacy Scale

    Time frame: 20 minitus

    Developed by Hong-Yan Li and his colleagues in 2017 and its Turkish validity safety studies were conducted by Koca et al. in 2018, the Disaster Response Self-Efficacy Scale consists of 19 items and 3 sub-dimensions and the responses were taken using a 5-point Likert scale. A high score on the scale indicates a high level of disaster response self-efficacy. The scale has three sub-factors. Sub-factors are: "On-Site Rescue Competence (Items 1 - 11)", "Disaster Psychological Nurse Competence (Items 12 - 15)" and "The nature of the role undertaken in disaster and adaptation adequacy (Items 16 - 19)". The Cronbach alpha coefficient for the entire scale is 0.96. The Cronbach alpha values obtained for the sub-dimensions are; On-site rescue competence was determined as 0.93, psychological nurse competence in disaster was determined as 0.93, and the quality of the role undertaken in the disaster and adaptation competence was determined as 0.93 (Bennur et al., 2020).

  4. Nursing Anxiety and Self-Confidence with Clinical Decision Making (NASC-CDM) Scale

    Time frame: 20 minitus

    The scale, which provides separate scores for self-confidence and anxiety, is a 6-point Likert-type scale consisting of 27 questions. The scale has three subscales for both the self-confidence and anxiety sections: "using sources to obtain information and listening fully," "using available information to identify the problem," and "knowing and taking action." Increasing scores in the self-confidence and subscales indicate increasing students' self-confidence in clinical decision-making. Low scores in the anxiety section and its subscales indicate low anxiety levels in clinical decision-making. The lowest possible score for the self-confidence and anxiety sections is 27, and the highest is 162. The total Cronbach alpha coefficient of the self-confidence section of the scale is 0.97, and the total Cronbach alpha coefficient of the anxiety section is 0.96 (Bektaş et al., 2017).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Disaster Midwifery Information Form

    Time frame: 20 minitus

    This form was developed by researchers based on literature and based on the content of the disaster midwifery module used as a theoretical training module. The final version will be finalized based on expert opinion. Twenty multiple-choice questions were prepared, deemed appropriate for the research purpose and educational content. The form's performance will be evaluated out of 100 points. For this purpose, students' total success scores are calculated as five times the number of correct answers. Students will be evaluated by assigning "5" points for each correct answer and "0" points for each incorrect answer. The highest possible score for students on the information form is "100," and the lowest is "0."

  2. Disaster Response Self-Efficacy Scale

    Time frame: 20 minitus

    Disaster Response Self-Efficacy Scale: Developed by Hong-Yan Li and his colleagues in 2017 and its Turkish validity safety studies were conducted by Koca et al. in 2018, the Disaster Response Self-Efficacy Scale consists of 19 items and 3 sub-dimensions and the responses were taken using a 5-point Likert scale. A high score on the scale indicates a high level of disaster response self-efficacy. The scale has three sub-factors. Sub-factors are: "On-Site Rescue Competence (Items 1 - 11)", "Disaster Psychological Nurse Competence (Items 12 - 15)" and "The nature of the role undertaken in disaster and adaptation adequacy (Items 16 - 19)". The Cronbach alpha coefficient for the entire scale is 0.96. The Cronbach alpha values obtained for the sub-dimensions are; On-site rescue competence was determined as 0.93, psychological nurse competence in disaster was determined as 0.93, and the quality of the role undertaken in the disaster and adaptation competence was determined as 0.93.

  3. Nursing Anxiety and Self-Confidence with Clinical Decision Making Scale

    Time frame: 20 minitus

    Description: The scale, which provides separate scores for self-confidence and anxiety, is a 6-point Likert-type scale consisting of 27 questions. The scale has three subscales for both the self-confidence and anxiety sections: "using sources to obtain information and listening fully," "using available information to identify the problem," and "knowing and taking action." Increasing scores in the self-confidence and subscales indicate increasing students' self-confidence in clinical decision-making. Low scores in the anxiety section and its subscales indicate low anxiety levels in clinical decision-making. The lowest possible score for the self-confidence and anxiety sections is 27, and the highest is 162. The total Cronbach alpha coefficient of the self-confidence section of the scale is 0.97, and the total Cronbach alpha coefficient of the anxiety section is 0.96 (Bektaş et al., 2017).

  4. Gamified Disaster Midwifery Experience Form (Only the intervention group)

    Time frame: 20 minitus

    The form was developed by researchers to evaluate the impact of gamified disaster midwifery training on students' process experiences. The form includes items assessing system usability, motivational factors (badges, points, leaderboards), and game task cycles. It consists of 16 items designed using a five-point Likert scale (5=strongly agree, 4=agree, 3=neutral, 2=disagree, 1=strongly disagree).

Other outcomes

  1. Disaster Midwifery Information Form

    Time frame: 20 minitus

    This form was developed by researchers based on literature and based on the content of the disaster midwifery module used as a theoretical training module. The final version will be finalized based on expert opinion. Twenty multiple-choice questions were prepared, deemed appropriate for the research purpose and educational content. The form's performance will be evaluated out of 100 points. For this purpose, students' total success scores are calculated as five times the number of correct answers. Students will be evaluated by assigning "5" points for each correct answer and "0" points for each incorrect answer. The highest possible score for students on the information form is "100," and the lowest is "0."

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Saglik Bilimleri Universitesi

Other

Registry information

Official study title

The Effect of the MERCI Model in Gamified Disaster Midwifery Education on Midwifery Students' Knowledge, Self-Efficacy, and Clinical Decision-Making Levels: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Important dates

Study start
2026
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jul 29, 2025
Registry last updated
Aug 5, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

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This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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