Effectiveness of game-based learning of anesthetic drugs in anesthesiology residents: a pilot study.
- 1Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, 90110, Thailand.
- 2Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, 90110, Thailand. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
Active learning, particularly through serious and analog serious games, is effective for increasing participant engagement, fostering learners' motivation, and promoting dynamic knowledge acquisition. In this study, we developed the "Basic Pharmacology for Anesthesia" card game to teach about anesthetic drug to first- to third-year anesthesiology residents and assessed its effectiveness and the residents' satisfaction with game-based learning.Methods
Nineteen anesthesiology residents participated in this cross-sectional observational study conducted at the Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University. A game-based learning was introduced to the participants. The objective of the game was for participants to collect a complete set of five cards for a specific anesthetic drug. The deck comprised 55 cards representing 11 anesthetic drugs, each of which detailed the drug's name, dosage, onset and duration, contraindications, side effects, and metabolism or pharmacology. Pre- and posttests (total score: 20 points) were administered before and after the game-based learning, respectively. Pre- and posttest knowledge scores were compared, and the participants' satisfaction with the activity was assessed using a five-point Likert scale.Results
A comparison of the pre- and posttest scores revealed improvements across all categories: 5.00 vs. 7.47 (p < 0.001) for induction drugs, 2.59 vs. 3.92 (p < 0.001) for volatile anesthetics, and 6.67 vs. 7.51 (p < 0.001) for neuromuscular agents. The total score significantly increased from 14.26 (pretest) to 18.91 (posttest) (p < 0.001). The overall satisfaction level was 4.84 (standard deviation = 0.37).Conclusions
Game-based learning using a serious card game could effectively improve anesthesiology residents' knowledge of anesthetic drugs and was associated with a high learner satisfaction. To achieve a more comprehensive evaluation of this educational intervention, future studies should include additional assessment methods, such as measuring learner engagement and comparing game-based learning with traditional methods used to teach anesthetic drugs to anesthesiology residents.
Related
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BibTeX
@article{anchalee2026effectiveness,
title = {{Effectiveness of game-based learning of anesthetic drugs in anesthesiology residents: a pilot study.}},
author = {Santi Anchalee and Chanya Deekiatphaiboon and Sumidtra Prathep and Wilasinee Jitpakdee},
journal = {BMC medical education},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12909-026-10011-5},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42907870},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Effectiveness of game-based learning of anesthetic drugs in anesthesiology residents: a pilot study.
AU - Santi Anchalee
AU - Chanya Deekiatphaiboon
AU - Sumidtra Prathep
AU - Wilasinee Jitpakdee
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/01
JO - BMC medical education
DO - 10.1186/s12909-026-10011-5
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42907870
AB - Background Active learning, particularly through serious and analog serious games, is effective for increasing participant engagement, fostering learners' motivation, and promoting dynamic knowledge acquisition. In this study, we developed the "Basic Pharmacology for Anesthesia" card game to teach about anesthetic drug to first- to third-year anesthesiology residents and assessed its effectiveness and the residents' satisfaction with game-based learning.Methods Nineteen anesthesiology residents participated in this cross-sectional observational study conducted at the Department of Anesthesiology, Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University. A game-based learning was introduced to the participants. The objective of the game was for participants to collect a complete set of five cards for a specific anesthetic drug. The deck comprised 55 cards representing 11 anesthetic drugs, each of which detailed the drug's name, dosage, onset and duration, contraindications, side effects, and metabolism or pharmacology. Pre- and posttests (total score: 20 points) were administered before and after the game-based learning, respectively. Pre- and posttest knowledge scores were compared, and the participants' satisfaction with the activity was assessed using a five-point Likert scale.Results A comparison of the pre- and posttest scores revealed improvements across all categories: 5.00 vs. 7.47 (p < 0.001) for induction drugs, 2.59 vs. 3.92 (p < 0.001) for volatile anesthetics, and 6.67 vs. 7.51 (p < 0.001) for neuromuscular agents. The total score significantly increased from 14.26 (pretest) to 18.91 (posttest) (p < 0.001). The overall satisfaction level was 4.84 (standard deviation = 0.37).Conclusions Game-based learning using a serious card game could effectively improve anesthesiology residents' knowledge of anesthetic drugs and was associated with a high learner satisfaction. To achieve a more comprehensive evaluation of this educational intervention, future studies should include additional assessment methods, such as measuring learner engagement and comparing game-based learning with traditional methods used to teach anesthetic drugs to anesthesiology residents.
SN - 1472-6920
ER -