A novel game to review pharmacoeconomic content in a pharmacy program

Background and purpose: This study reports on the development of a new game designed specifically for a pharmacoeconomics course to meet three objectives: (1) identify four main types of pharmacoeconomic analyses, (2) understand different outcomes for each analysis, and (3) interpret findings of pharmacoeconomic analyses.

Educational activity and setting: The game simulated real-world applicability of pharmacoeconomic analyses in a classroom setting using a candy theme. Groups of pharmacy students (N = 62) competed by building formularies that incorporated a minimum number of medications (candies) from each outcome category and at least two specialty services. Each medication and service were assigned a cost and rating according to the outcome associated with each analysis type. The following class session served as a debriefing to assess student perceptions using a written survey. Survey responses ranged from a score of 1 (strongly agree) to 5 (strongly disagree). A separate open-ended question collected feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the game and analyzed into themes.

Findings: Student responses averaged 1.96 (SD = 1.1) for all questions. The highest rated question, "I attained the stated goals/objectives of this activity," scored 1.81 (SD = 1.1). Four overall themes emerged: engaging (n = 10), valuable (n = 19), confusing (n = 17), and disconnected (n = 8). Students highlighted the value of the gaming activity for providing practical, real-life examples to increase their understanding.

Summary: The design and application of gaming in a pharmacoeconomics course proved practical and valuable for student learning.