Qstream is making a direct impact on better patient outcomes by influencing uptake and use of stroke and bleeding risk assessment tools in clinical practice
BURLINGTON, Mass. – August 14, 2018 – Qstream, the only microlearning platform scientifically proven to make people better at what they do, today announced the results of a new clinical research study that demonstrates significant, measurable improvements in both knowledge and behaviors among participating nurses. Published in the European Journal for Cardiovascular Nursing, the study reported a significant fifty-four percent mean improvement in knowledge of atrial fibrillation (AF) and anticoagulation among participants.
The research study included nurses employed in four clinical specialities (neuroscience, stroke, rehabilitation, and cardiology) across three Australian acute care hospitals in metropolitan Sydney over a six-week period. Beginning with an electronic survey to assess existing awareness and knowledge, 12 AF and anticoagulation case-based learning scenarios were delivered to participants’ smartphones in spaced intervals via the Qstream application. A post-test assessment immediately following completion of the intervention found significant improvement in both knowledge and practice using risk assessment tools such as CHA2DS2-VASc and HAS-BLED.
Lead study author, Dr. Caleb Ferguson, noted: “Nurses are well positioned to address AF and anticoagulation challenges and improve stroke prevention efforts in primary and acute care settings, so the results of this study are very encouraging. AF remains one of the major causes of stroke, heart failure, and cardiovascular morbidity, so improving knowledge and prevention efforts in nurses could impact patient care and outcomes.”
Developed at Harvard Medical School, Qstream employs a challenge-based learning approach that is proven to increase knowledge retention up to 170 percent and job proficiency gains up to 35 percent. Interval reinforcement has been shown to significantly increase knowledge retention over time.
“Nurses play a critical role in patient care and safety, as well as healthcare delivery. Increasing knowledge and practice of preventative assessments via the Qstream microlearning platform has the potential to improve management of a broad range of preventable conditions,” said Rich Lanchantin, CEO of Qstream. “In just six weeks, study participants significantly improved their knowledge of AF and anticoagulation, an extraordinary validation of the Qstream microlearning platform. Not only is knowledge retention improved with Qstream, but our microlearning approach helps nurses spend less time in the classroom and more time focused on patient care.”
Funding for the study was provided by the University of Technology Sydney, Australia; Chancellors Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Project Funding (2016-2017). The report is online at: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1474515118793051