Experience of diagnostic radiology residents with Kaizen, a novel online app-based gamified education tool, and performance compared to RadExam.

Abstract

Rationale and objectives: Gamification is the application of gaming elements in a nongame context. The use of gamification in education increases motivation, participation and both short- and long-term knowledge retention. Millennial and Generation Z learners are the largest percentage of radiology residents and medical students, respectively, and gamification is an educational tool they are likely familiar with and may enjoy. To date, performance of a gamified learning platform for radiology residents has not been compared to validated resources such as RadExam.

Materials and methods: This is an IRB-approved prospective study evaluating the performance of R1-R4 radiology residents participating in a month-long voluntary novel app-based game at a tertiary care academic program. Questions were created by radiology attendings from several radiology subspecialties and reviewed by a radiologist experienced in radiology education. Informed consent was acquired from all participants, and questions were delivered by Kaizen's secure online app. Performance was recorded for each group. Scores overall and within each discipline were compared institutional RadExam performance using a one-way Anova test. Likert survey was administered at the conclusion of the study to assess participant engagement, motivation, clinical knowledge, board preparation, satisfaction and likelihood to play again.

Results: There were 25 radiology residents (65.7 %, 25/38) who completed at least one question. First year residents made up the largest percentage of class participation with 89 % (8/9) answering at least one question. Third-year residents answered the highest percentage of questions correctly, while the first-year class answered the lowest percentage correctly. One-way Anova analysis showed no significant difference between mean Kaizen and RadExam scores (p = 0.3641). There was also no significant difference between the RadExam and Kaizen scores separated by question category. Most enjoyed the game and 75 % of survey participants would participate in a Kaizen game again. Team collaboration and question feedback significantly increased motivation for most. Most participants felt the game enhanced their radiology knowledge and was beneficial for daily work and board preparation.

Conclusion: The Kaizen game was well-received among radiology residents with positive feedback on content, perceived educational benefits and motivation. Team competition appeared to play a role in maintaining engagement and motivation. Resident performance on the RadExam and Kaizen game by both overall and topic-based assessments showed similar results. More research is needed to assess the reliability and validity of gamified learning for radiology residents.