Gamification of graduate medical education in an emergency medicine residency program

Abstract

Objectives Our program implemented East EMWars, a year-long, longitudinal game that added competition to our existing curricular content. We surveyed residents to investigate the impact of gamification in emergency medicine residency training. We hypothesized that residents would report higher levels of motivation, engagement, and challenge with gamification compared to traditional didactics. Furthermore, we hypothesized that residents would exhibit generally positive perceptions about gamification as a learning tool and that it would translate to improved performance on the annual in-training examination. Methods This was a single-center, prospective pre- and post-intervention survey study at a community-based emergency medicine residency program. Given the multiplicity of research questions and inherent nature of educational research, a mixed methods approach was utilized. We utilized nonparametric testing for quantitative data with paired responses pre- and post-intervention. We solicited comments on the post-intervention that were categorized under thematic approach and presented in complete and unedited form in the results. Results Eighteen (100%) of eligible residents in our program participated in both surveys. There were statistically significant increases in reported levels of motivation, engagement, and challenge with gamification compared to traditional didactic methods. Residents also reported overwhelmingly positive general perceptions about gamification and its broader generalizability and applicability. We did not reach statistical significance in determining if in-training exam scores were associated with our gamification initiative. Conclusions This study was a first-of-its-kind look into a longitudinal game in an emergency medicine residency program. Although our results are encouraging, medical educators need further research to determine if this increase in motivation, engagement, and challenge will be associated with an increase in examination scores or, more importantly, healthcare outcomes. Theory-based, broader-scale, prospective studies are needed to further explore and help establish these associations and outcomes.

Game-based learning in medical education

“…Furthermore, gamification together with spaced repetition studies is gradually becoming an optimal complementary method to encourage medical education and manifest obvious benefits in promoting the retention of clinical understanding (61). Likewise, the application of gamification gains well-acceptance and yields positive implications among residents (57)(58)(59)(60).…”

Gamification vs. Teaching First Aid: What Is Being Produced by Science in The Area?

“…Gamification is employed for diverse educational purposes, across various levels of learning, in different environments, and within a broad spectrum of learning domains (8)(9)(10)(11). Gamification applied to education represents a dynamic and innovative approach aimed at enhancing the learning experience through the incorporation of game elements and mechanics into educational contexts.…”

“…For example, Gue et al ( 2022) conducted a study to introduce competition into the emergency medicine residency training curriculum (9). The aim was to assess the impact of gamification on residents' motivation, engagement, and perceived challenge compared to traditional didactics.…”

Livogena: The Ikteros Curse—A Jaundice Narrative Card and Board Game for Medical Students

“… 4 The concept of gamification or game-based learning in medicine has facilitated collaborative learning resulting in higher knowledge retention and improved performance on examinations. 5 – 7 In addition, the component of storytelling that enables the learner to visualize, process information, and remember content learned by generating such scenes can also be implemented in medical education. 8 …”