Side Effects May Include Fun: Pre- and Post-Market Surveillance of the GridlockED Serious Game

Introduction. As serious games are a relatively new phenomenon in medical education, there is little data on end user demographics or usage. In this study our goal was to describe the demographics and usage for purchasers of the GridlockED board game, a serious board game for teaching about a systems approach to managing care in the emergency department. Methods. We conducted a two-phase survey of individuals interested in purchasing GridlockED. Users were asked to complete a brief demographic survey before accessing the purchasing site. A follow-up survey was performed 3-6 months after the initial survey. That survey was to assess participants’ usage, play patterns, and what changes to GridlockED they would like to see. Individuals who did not purchase the board game were asked about their barriers to purchase. Results. After one year of sales, 213 games were purchased, 560 individuals had completed the intake survey with 408 consented to follow-up. Responding purchasers were from 16 different roles in healthcare in 11 countries. Our follow-up survey collated 53 responses (out of 408 individuals, 14% response rate). The majority (63%) of respondents reported having played the game, with the most common use cases being for fun (40%), teaching trainees (21%) or training with colleagues (13%). Price of the game unit was cited as the largest barrier to purchase (60%). Conclusion. GridlockED attracted interest from a wide range of medical professionals around the world. Users reported using the game for fun and for teaching/training purposes. The main barrier to purchase was the game’s price.