Gamification in cost awareness education: Promising approach, methodological considerations

The article by Ray, titled “Gamification of Emergency Medicine Cost Awareness Education,”1 offers an innovative approach to an important component of medical education. This study creatively addresses ACGME's task of cost awareness training2 while using game design elements in a nongame context3 to increase student participation. This is an important step toward adapting to modern methods in medical education, especially in the area of emergency medicine. However, several methodologic considerations warrant attention to strengthen future research in this promising area. The author stated that he applied the “The Price is Right” format. However, game dynamics and rule standardization could have been explained more. Future research should use a common implementation guide to reduce the educator effect and improve reproducibility. This guide should cover which game design elements3 are being utilized, session management, time limitations, and participant engagement, in addition to game rules to standardize. The pretest–posttest design is useful; however, a control group might improve intervention effectiveness assessments in future investigations. A noninferiority design could show that gamification is as successful as traditional approaches and improves engagement and retention. This strategy would justify the time and resources required to apply gamification strategies. Effect sizes provide valuable insights into the extent of observed changes, which is essential for accurately evaluating the practical importance of educational interventions.4 Short-term effects were revealed, but follow-up research on cost awareness and clinical decision making is needed. Future research should explore how this training intervention influences residents' cost-effective clinical decision making over time. Ray's study lays an important foundation for further research into the gamification of medical education. By addressing these methodologic considerations, future studies can provide more robust evidence for the effectiveness of gamification in enhancing cost awareness among emergency medicine residents. This line of research has the potential to significantly impact medical education and, ultimately, lead to more cost-efficient and high-quality patient care in emergency medicine. The author declares no conflicts of interest.