Gamification approach to addiction education for internal medicine residents

Abstract

Background: People with a substance use disorder (SUD) outnumber the trained provider workforce. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recognized this gap in 2022 and now requires addiction education for internal medicine (IM) residents. However, traditional lecture formats struggle to deliver education on this stigmatized condition with meaningful retention and changes in attitudes. Gamification is an evidence-based educational strategy with positive outcomes in graduate medical education, but to our knowledge, has not been used for an entire addiction curriculum. Intervention: This six session IM-focused, stigma-free, interactive curriculum used published physician competencies for content selection. Games were matched to topics based on complexity and need for skill practice. Each hourly session included 10 minutes on introduction, 45 minutes on gameplay, and 5 minutes on feedback. This addiction curriculum was incorporated into existing didactics for IM residents where participants’ comfort, psychological safety, and learning expectations were pre-established. Methods: Sixteen IM residents participated in the curriculum. Curriculum evaluation was conducted using Kirkpatrick’s four levels of evaluation. Resident feedback was obtained via online survey software at the conclusion of each session and behavior impact through an anonymous single question prompt. We used descriptive statistics and summative content analysis to evaluate findings, respectively. Results: All residents were highly satisfied with the curriculum design and use of gamification. Residents reported high levels of engagement and learning, despite use of various games. Findings support an increase in medication prescribing and utilization of harm reduction strategies following curriculum implementation. Conclusion: Gamification may be a preferred educational strategy for addiction curriculum for IM residents. We plan to distribute our curriculum widely for further evaluation in health professions’ programs.