THE WEIGHT OF KNOWLEDGE: COMPARING GAMIFICATION VS TRADITIONAL LECTURE IN RESIDENT EDUCATION ON OBESITY MANAGEMENT AND PHARMACOTHERAPY

Abstract

Therapeutic Area: Obesity Background: Obesity is a major contributing factor to cardiovascular disease and effective weight management is essential to mitigating its risk. Therefore, increasing awareness on weight loss management is an essential component of internal medicine trainee education. In recent years, gamification has gained attention as a tool to enhance learner engagement and knowledge acquisition. The current literature lacks evidence comparing the educational benefits of gamification to traditional teaching methods in weight management education. Therefore, our study aims to bridge this gap by assessing the effectiveness of a gamified didactic format with a traditional lecture format in educating internal medicine residents about obesity management. Methods: Residents from a single US internal medicine residency program (N = 108) underwent a 45-minute didactic session reviewing the management of obesity. Residents are randomly assigned to clinic groups at the start of residency. The participants in our study were either provided a traditional lecture or a gamified format utilizing KAHOOT!® based on their previously defined clinic groups. Residents were educated on 2013 American College of Cardiology (ACC)/American Heart Association (AHA)/The Obesity Society (TOS), 2016 American Association of Clinical Endocrinologist/American College of Endocrinology Clinical Practice Guidelines, and 2022 American Gastroenterological Association clinical practice guideline on Pharmacological Interventions for Adults with Obesity. Pre-test and post-test surveys assessed knowledge using 5 standardized internal medicine board preparation questions. Analysis was performed using a two-tailed students t-test comparing pre- and post-lecture scores for gamified and non-gamified lectures. Results: In the gamified format group, pre-test survey was completed by 37.5% (24/64). Of these, 70.8% (17/24) completed post survey. In the traditional format group, pre-test survey was completed by 60% (27/45). Of these, 33% (9/27) completed post survey. The average percentage correct on the knowledge assessment survey for the gamified format group was a pre-test score of 51.67% and post-test score of 65.88% (p = 0.02). The traditional format had an average pre-test score of 57.04% and post-test score of 80% (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Didactics using a gamified and non-gamified format led to significant improvement in resident knowledge of obesity management. Next steps should explore whether the different education formats lead to increased guideline-based clinical practice.