Engage and Educate: Top 5 Tips for Game-Based Periop Learning

Learning through games is not only more enjoyable but also significantly more effective for knowledge retention. So says Kayla Haugen, MS, BSN, RN, CPN, a clinical education specialist at Phoenix Children’s and an expert in game-based periop learning.

“There is a vast jump in knowledge gained and retained with game-based learning compared to traditional learning—figures that would be hard for any educator to overlook,” she says.

Consider the retention stats for traditional versus gamification education:

• Traditional education, which involves reading, lectures, and demonstrations, typically results in learners retaining 20-30% of the information.
• Gamified periop education, that is hands-on, uses simulation , and allows learners to practice their tasks and helps them retain 75-90% of what they learn.

Deciding to create game-based periop education is the easy part. But implementing it effectively poses more challenges.

“Periop educators will quicky see there are a lack of resources for periop-specific game-based education, so you have to get creative,” Haugen says. “It can also be difficult to build enough time into the schedule for staff to attend in-person learning.”

However, don’t let these challenges deter you, Haugen says. She wants to help educators build the knowledge and skills needed for this highly effective education approach, which also engages multigenerational teams.

Here are her 5 tips to create your own game-based learning activity for periop teams:

Tip #1: Look for Models

Conduct a quick search for game-based learning activities that you can tailor to your own needs.

Suggestion: Focus on activities that make the learning as hands-on as possible. “In our escape room activity for malignant hyperthermia response, we included a station with the actual MH kit we use to ready learners for an actual MH event.”

Tip #2: Leverage Existing Content

Use relevant educational content you’ve already created for traditional learning to save time.

Example: If you’re building a Jeopardy game on airway management—much of the information you have from a previous presentation can likely still be used, just presented in a question/answer format. Good sample questions can be found online to get you started. 

Tip #3: Start Small

You don’t need to be overly ambitious to be effective. Begin with a smaller topic that is easy to break down into hands-on activities.

Lesson learned: Haugen and her colleagues' first choice was an escape room activity. They found great resources from others, and it was easy to create stations centered on one learning activity at a time that a team could tackle together.

Tip#4: Break Down Education Creation into Doable Steps

Use a checklist and a detailed schedule for each task to make creating your game-based learning activity less overwhelming and help you stick to a defined timeline for education implementation.

Valuable resource: Haugen’s open webpage offers checklists, schedules, and facilitator guidelines for each gamified learning activity she and her team have created so far.

Tip #5: Use Learner Feedback

Pre- and post-learning evaluations provide valuable insights that Haugen and her team have used to refine their game-based learning activities. “But be sure to target your questions to the actionable data you want,” she says.

Don’t forget: Ask specific pre-and post-activity questions to gauge knowledge acquisition for the topic and ensure learners enjoyed the activity, as “engagement is key to retaining what you learn.”