Courting Apocalypse: Creating a Zombie-Themed Evidence-Based Medicine Game

Med Ref Serv Q. 2017 Oct-Dec;36(4):313-322. doi: 10.1080/02763869.2017.1369239.

Abstract

In 2015, two librarians at the Hardin Library for the Health Sciences at the University of Iowa turned their dreams into a reality and secured funding to build a zombie-themed evidence-based medicine game. The game features a "choose your own adventure" style that takes students through a scenario where a disease outbreak is taking place and a resident is asked to use evidence-based medicine skills to select a screening and diagnostic tool to use on potentially infected patients. Feedback on the game has been positive, and future plans include building additional modules on therapy, harm, and prognosis.

Keywords: Evidence-based medicine; games; gamification; medical education; zombies.

MeSH terms

  • Education, Medical / methods*
  • Evidence-Based Medicine / education*
  • Humans
  • Iowa
  • Simulation Training / methods*
  • Video Games*