Learning from games: stakeholders’ experiences involved in local health policy

Abstract

Since public health problems are complex and the related policies need to address a wide range of sectors, cross-sectoral collaboration is beneficial. One intervention focusing on stimulating collaboration is a 'policy game'. The focus on specific problems facilitates relationships between the stakeholders and stimulates cross-sectoral policymaking. The present study explores stakeholders' learning experiences with respect to the collaboration process in public health policymaking. This was achieved via their game participation, carried out in real-life stakeholder networks in the Netherlands, Denmark and Romania. The policy game (In2Action) was developed and implemented as a 1-day role-play. The data consisted of: (i) observations and evaluation notes during the game and (ii) participant questionnaire after the game. All three countries showed similar results in learning experience during the collaboration processes in local policymaking. Specific learning experiences were related to: (i) the stakeholder network, (ii) interaction and (iii) relationships. The game also increased participant's understanding of group dynamics and need for a coordinator in policymaking. This exploratory study shows that the game provides participants with learning experiences during the collaboration process in policymaking. Experiencing what is needed to establish cross-sectoral collaboration is a first step towards enhancing knowledge exchange and more effective public health policies.

Students as policymakers and policy advocates: Role-playing evidence-based health policies

“…Improved skills including communication, leadership, and critical and creative thinking, have been reported as an advantage of simulation activities (Acharya et al, 2014; Bosse et al, 2010; El Tantawi et al, 2014; Latif et al, 2018; Luttenberger et al, 2014; Nair, 2019; Spitters et al, 2018). The role playing activity was an opportunity for students to demonstrate creative and critical thinking skills.…”

“…The employment of role playing within the health discipline has been mainly in academic settings targeting undergraduate students, (Acharya et al, 2014; Bosse et al, 2010; Chen et al, 2021; El Tantawi et al, 2014; Latif et al, 2018; Luttenberger et al, 2014; Nair, 2019), with few studies conducted on graduate students (Craig & Bloomfield, 2006). The employment of role playing has also extended educational settings to include professional settings (Kim, 2014; Spitters et al, 2018) .…”

“…The developed policy game allowed participants to take roles of different stakeholders to plan the implementation process of a health enhancing physical activity policy. The stakeholders’ learning experiences reflected better understanding of the communication process among policy stakeholders as well as the essentials of leadership skills (Spitters et al, 2018).…”

“…Despite documented evidence on benefits of simulation activities and the need for its incorporation in teaching health policy, the utilization of simulation activities for teaching health policy remains limited and within specific contexts. Only a few studies have documented their experiences with incorporating simulation in teaching health policy (Craig & Bloomfield, 2006; Krueger et al, 2011; Spitters et al, 2018).…”

Theory‐based capacity building intervention for intersectoral action for health at local governments: An exploratory pilot study

“…Description : to explore the concept of accountability, which is defined as the answerability or legal responsibility for identifying and removing obstacles and barriers to health equity (Hammonds, Hanefeld, & Ooms, 2019), an activity named ‘the Policy Game’ (Spitters et al, 2018) was displayed. Policy games are interactive, participatory approaches, taking real‐life situations as a starting point.…”