SimFection: a digital resource for vaccination education

K. Carolan, J. Verran*, Martyn Amos, M. Crossley, J. Redfern, Nic Whitton, D. Louttit

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

4 Citations (Scopus)
16 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Vaccination coverage in the United Kingdom is below the level recommended by the World Health Organisation, and when vaccination coverage is not sufficient, outbreaks of infectious diseases can occur. In 2015, coverage of the first dose of the Measles-Mumps-Rubella vaccine declined in the United Kingdom for the first time since 2008, indicating a need to raise public awareness and understanding of the importance of vaccination to public health. Identifying 16 – 18-year olds as a target audience, being future parents who would make decisions regarding vaccination of their children, a digital educational resource (‘SimFection’) was developed to deliver key messages about the spread and control of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases (identified via school curricula). The process of development utilised an iterative approach, involving a cyclic process of prototyping, testing, analysis and refinement with a range of audiences including students, schoolchildren, and trainee teachers. The completed resource is now available online for free download.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)225-234
JournalJournal of Biological Education
Volume53
Issue number2
Early online date24 May 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Mar 2019
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • digital
  • educational
  • infectious
  • resource
  • Vaccination

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