NOVEL APPROACHES TO ENHANCE BACHELOR'S DEGREE OF MEDICAL EDUCATION (LITERATURE REVIEW)

Healthcare professionals require quality training to deliver safe and effective patient care. However, traditional teaching methods often focus narrowly on knowledge and skills, neglecting the connection to real-world clinical practice. To address this, educators are increasingly turning to gamification – the use of game elements in non-game settings – to enhance student learning outcomes. This article investigated the effectiveness of gamification in health professions education and explored the theoretical basis for its success. We found that while gamification generally shows positive results, most studies lacked well-defined control groups and did not fully explore the underlying mechanisms. It's crucial to understand how and why gamification works in order to optimize its implementation. The most promising results came from studies combining assessment and conflict/challenge game attributes. This combination seems to improve learning behaviors and attitudes, potentially translating into better learning outcomes. Future research should investigate this link using robust study designs and examine how specific game elements align with different educational goals. I also highlight the importance of experiential learning, where students actively engage in healthcare improvement initiatives within inter-professional teams. This approach, supported by service-learning pedagogies, fosters the development of real-world problem-solving skills that have a tangible impact on patient care