Feeling the flow with a serious game workshop: GridlockED as Medical Education 2 study (GAME2 study)

GridlockED gameplay workshops were delivered in Canada. This project investigated workshop attendees' experiences, seeking to identify learning points to inform improvement of the workshop.

GridlockED sessions were held through 2018 and 2019. Workshops targeted medical trainees. After a standardized video, learners played for approximately 90 minutes. Learners completed a postgameplay survey with 7-point Likert scale questions about their experience.

Seventy-two participants responded to our survey (41 medical students, 13 physician assistant students, 12 emergency medicine residents, and six faculty members). Trainees rated GridlockED as both enjoyable and a meaningful educational experience, with a mean (±SD) rating of 6.53 (±0.96) of 7 for enjoyment and 6.17 (±1.13) for education. Attendees identified teamwork and communication (49%) as the most helpful learning domain, with patient flow (43%) being second and basics of how the ED worked (31%) being third. The respondents self-identified top areas of learning as resource management (38.9%), improved understanding of various provider roles in the ED (33%), and improved communication skills (33%).

Medical learners identified GridlockED to be an educational and enjoyable learning experience. Attendees reported that playing this serious game assisted with learning about health systems and communication.