Open-Access Web-Based Gamification in Pharmacology Education for Medical Students: Quasi-Experimental Study

Background: Medical education continues to favor didactic lectures as the predominant method of instruction. However, in recent years, there has been a shift toward active learning methodologies such as gamification. Objective: This study aimed to describe the implementation of 3 open-access, web-based pharmacology games tailored for medical students: Cross DRUGs, Find the DRUG, and DRUGs Escape Room. The study also evaluated the impact of gamification on knowledge retention, student engagement, and learning experience in pharmacology education. Methods: We used a quasi-experimental design to examine the effects of gamification on knowledge retention by comparing pretest and posttest scores between the gamer and control groups. Each week, students self-selected into either the gamer group or the control group based on personal preference. All students were provided with online access to the same lecture slides. Students in the control group completed both the pretest and posttest but did not play any of the games. A survey was administered to assess students' perceptions of gamification as a learning tool. Results: Of the 72 students enrolled in the course, 49 (68%) agreed to participate, with 40 (56%) students completing both the pretest and posttest and being included in our analysis. As participation could vary weekly, an individual student might have appeared in both groups across different weeks, resulting in 59 gamer sessions and 20 control sessions. The mean pretest scores were 6.05 (SD 2.31) for the control group and 6.20 (SD 2.13) for the gamer group. The mean posttest scores were 6.90 (SD 2.02) for the control group and 8.47 (SD 1.30) for the gamer group. The gamer group exhibited significantly improved posttest scores (P = .006), while the control group did not (P = .21). Most respondents (25/30, 83%) found the games enjoyable and agreed that the games effectively helped them understand pharmacological concepts (24/30, 80%). Additionally, 70% (21/30) of students believed they learned better from the gaming format than from didactic lectures. Most favored a blended approach that combines lectures with games or case studies. Conclusions: Gamification can serve as an effective complementary teaching tool for helping medical students learn pharmacological concepts.