Perioperative medicine & outcomes
Exploring Gamification of the Incentive Spirometry Tracker Device: A Survey of Patients, Providers, and Healthcare Employees
Authors' conclusion
ISTracker was created to attempt to enhance engagement with IS across diverse groups. Combining gamification with data capture, features unavailable with standard spirometers, is a promising approach for improving perioperative care and guiding future research.
Study context
- Population
- Adult patients, anesthesiology clinicians and staff at a single large academic centerpatients, clinicians, staff
- Participants
- 105 patients
- Exposure
- Incentive spirometry (IS) alone vs Incentive Spirometry Tracker (ISTracker) vs ISTracker plus gamification
- Outcome
- Feasibility, perceptions, usability and engagement of ISTracker (survey: ease of use, design, navigation, overall enjoyment)
Methodological detailssingle-centre, sequential use of IS alone, ISTracker and ISTracker plus gamification
- Single-centre
- Sequential use of IS alone, ISTracker and ISTracker plus gamification
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Usability and acceptability of ISTracker
- Rated ISTracker easy to use
- 90.5%
- 5-star rating for shape
- 66.7%
- 5-star rating for stability
- 70.5%
- 5-star rating for color
- 71.4%
- Willing to use gamified version
- 81.0%
- Preferred gamified version over standard IS
- 62.9%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Age and gamification
- Younger participants more in favor of gamification
- P < 0.0001
- Younger participants reported greater enjoyment
- P = 0.0166
Inspiratory volume by gender and BMI
- Inspiratory volume significantly varied by gender and BMI
- P < 0.0001
Original publication
Exploring Gamification of the Incentive Spirometry Tracker Device: A Survey of Patients, Providers, and Healthcare Employees. Anesthesiology. Published 17 April 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →