A Game-Based Tool for Reducing Jargon Use by Medical Trainees

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Communication
• Patient Engagement

Background:

• Many US adults have limited health literacy, impacting health outcomes.
• Physicians often struggle to avoid medical jargon, hindering effective patient communication.
• Standardized health literacy education is lacking in US medical schools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a gamified tool for medical trainees to practice patient-centered communication skills.
• To improve trainees' ability to avoid medical jargon in patient interactions.

Main Methods:

• Preclinical medical students participated in hour-long workshops.
• Workshops included watching a communication exemplar video and playing the Patient Communication Challenge (PCC) game.
• A post-workshop survey assessed participant satisfaction and self-reported competency gain.

Main Results:

• The PCC game was found to be enjoyable and reinforced learning through active engagement.
• 91% of participants felt more proficient in avoiding medical jargon.
• 94% would recommend the workshop, and 100% would play the game again.

Conclusions:

• The Patient Communication Challenge (PCC) effectively enhances health communication skills in early medical trainees through gamification.
• The game utilizes adult learning principles and can be adapted for broader application in medical training.
• Further research should explore longitudinal assessment and expansion to other health professions.