Challenge GP: using gamification to bring the reality and uncertainty of a duty doctor's surgery to early year medical students

We present a novel teaching concept: 'Challenge GP' designed for early years students. Gamification methodology is used to reproduce key elements of the 'duty GP' experience in a classroom setting where working in teams, students play a competitive card game. Cards drawn at random pose scenarios based on practical, logistical, and ethical dilemmas of a duty doctor surgery. Each team discusses whether to score by reporting a decision or play special cards to pass the dilemma onto, or collaborate with, another team. Answers are facilitated and scored by a GP tutor.Student feedback demonstrated highly effective learning for clinical reasoning, risk management and problem-solving. Students were exposed to the uncertainty and complexity of real-life medicine. Gamification, through competitiveness, increased task engagement. Students learned the value of working in teams under time pressure and grew in confidence by sharing knowledge in a safe environment. Students were enabled to think, feel and practise as real-life clinicians. This became a powerful force in contextualising their theory-based knowledge, aided understanding of the GP role and opened their eyes to a possible career in general practice.PMID:36999209 | DOI:10.1080/14739879.2023.2190936
Source: Education for Primary Care - Category: Primary Care Authors: Source Type: research