Serious game is an effective learning method for primary health care education of medical students: A randomized controlled trial

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the influence of a serious game dedicated to primary health care with traditional learning methods on knowledge of undergraduate medical students.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with undergraduate medical students. The students (n = 27) attended to an expositive leveling lesson regard the theme "Screening on Primary Health Care", and answered to a baseline knowledge test, comprised by objective questions. Students were randomly allocated to the control and game groups, in which received a text-based material regarding "Screening on Primary Health Care" or were exposed to a serious game. An immediate knowledge test and a retention knowledge test, presenting the same questions of baseline test, were responded by students at the finish of exposure and four weeks later. The students also performed a survey evaluating the user experience on the serious game. Knowledge test scores were analysed by repeated measures ANOVA and paired sample t-test. User experience and expectation surveys were descriptively analyzed.

Results: For the control group, the mean scores and standard deviation were 7.85 ± 0.99, 9.00 ± 1.87 and 7.69 ± 1.44 for baseline, immediate and retention knowledge tests, respectively; the score at immediate test was higher than for baseline and retention tests. The game group presented 7.07 ± 1.98, 8.00 ± 1.84 and 7.15 ± 1.41 for baseline, immediate and retention knowledge tests, respectively. The comparison between groups did not show differences at any moment (p < 0.05). The majority of the participants consider that the serious game has understandable instructions, presented the contents clearly, and it favors the engagement on study.

Conclusion: The serious game was effective to improve the students' knowledge on primary health care contents. Learning based on a serious game is as effective as learning based on printed text.