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Enhancing clinical competence in burn management through a serious educational game: a randomized controlled trial
Kolsoum Deldar1, Seyed Hasan Tavousi2,3, Ali Ahmadabadi2,3
1Department of Health Information Technology, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran.
BMC Medical Education
|July 21, 2026
Summary
Serious games significantly improved medical students' burn management skills and satisfaction. This educational approach enhances clinical competence and prepares students for real-world challenges in burn care.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Clinical Skills Training
- Serious Games in Healthcare
Background:
- Burn injuries present a significant global health challenge, particularly in developing nations.
- Medical students and young physicians often exhibit competency gaps in burn management due to insufficient clinical training.
- Serious games offer a promising avenue for enhancing clinical skills through interactive simulation, yet their impact on burn management education is underexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To design and evaluate an educational serious game for improving medical students' clinical competence in managing burn cases.
- To assess the effectiveness of serious games as an adjunct to standard training in burn management.
Main Methods:
- A parallel-group randomized clinical trial involving 70 medical students with no prior burn management experience.
- Participants were randomized to receive standard training plus a serious game (intervention group) or standard training only (control group).
- Clinical competency was assessed using the Mini-Clinical Evaluation Exercise (Mini-CEX) before and after the intervention period.
Main Results:
- Both groups showed statistically significant improvements in all seven assessed skills post-intervention (P < 0.001).
- The intervention group, utilizing the serious game, demonstrated significantly greater increases in both teacher and student satisfaction compared to the control group (P < 0.001).
- No significant demographic differences were noted between the intervention and control groups.
Conclusions:
- Serious games represent a transformative strategy in medical education, significantly enhancing learning outcomes and clinical skills.
- These engaging, interactive tools effectively prepare students with essential competencies for real-world burn management challenges.
- Continued exploration of innovative educational strategies like serious games is crucial for advancing medical education quality.
