Gamified Innovation to Improve Understanding of the Role of Social Capital on Patient Health

Western Sydney University School of Medicine's Medicine in Context (MiC) programme integrates social determinants of health into the medical curriculum through workshops, tutorials and placements in community, General Practice and hospital settings, particularly in the hyper-diverse Greater Western Sydney area. A gamified innovation to teach medical students about the significance of social capital was developed and evaluated in 2023. Teaching on patients' social capital is critical to ensure students adequately consider patients' networks in delivering tailored, patient-centred care.

A 'trio of learning activities' was designed that combined elements of gamification, simulation and experiential learning. First, a workshop that combined aspects of 'Choose Your Own Adventure' and hybrid 'Escape Room' was delivered, which introduced the concept of social capital and facilitated students' reflections on patients' and their own social capital. Second, students attended single-day placements at community organisations. The third activity was a tutorial during which students explored social capital of the communities they observed and then debriefed their learning on social capital throughout the semester.

The teaching innovation was evaluated at three time points using quantitative and qualitative questions. Evaluation results indicated students' overall understanding of the concept of social capital increased after the workshop, and the majority of students felt the learning activities were 'Very Helpful' to achieving their Learning Outcomes.

Integrating simulation, gamification and experiential learning proved an effective and engaging method for teaching social capital within a short timeframe. Students' positive feedback indicates that this innovation can be applied to teach social determinants of health in a packed medical curriculum.