SynthesisBMC medical education2024
Reflecting on gamified learning in medical education: a systematic literature review grounded in the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy 2012-2022.
Synthesis in BMC medical education, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 11 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- A quasi-experimental crossover study on student engagement and performance in a gamified team-based learning module in physiology.Medical education online · 2026Article
- Gamification in dental education: Role of Kahoot in enhancing student engagement, learning outcomes and knowledge retention.Pakistan journal of medical sciences · 2026Review
- Paper-based gamification to enhance competency-based education in an obstetrics clerkship.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- Review
- The power of play-based learning: evaluating the impact of collaborative gamified quizzing on medical students' learning through the lens of Kirkpatrick's framework.BMC medical education · 2026Article
- From immersion to burnout: anxiety mechanisms and pathways to motivational exhaustion in gamified health education.Frontiers in public health · 2026Article
- When suffering becomes a game: a critical examination of gamification in medical education and its implications for compassion and empathy.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Psycheutopia: an innovative educational program to enhance mental health literacy among medical students.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Article
- Enhancing Clinical Medical Education Through Hand Gesture Analogy Teaching: A Narrative Review.Cureus · 2024Review
- Investigating the Effect of Online Gamification on Electrocardiogram Interpretation and Self-Directed Learning in Nursing Students.Journal of advances in medical education & professionalism · 2024Article
- Correction: Reflecting on gamified learning in medical education: a systematic literature review grounded in the structure of observed learning outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy 2012-2022.BMC medical education · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe acquisition of in-depth medical knowledge, skills, and competencies is of utmost importance when training future medical professionals. This systematic literature review delves into the empirical connection between gamified learning in medical education and the Structure of Observed Learning Outcomes (SOLO) taxonomy.
methodsFollowing PRISMA guidelines, a systematic literature review was conducted in seven databases to identify empirical studies related to gamification and medical education. The literature search was limited to peer-reviewed articles published between January 2012 and December 2022. Articles focusing on games or learning technologies in a broader sense as well as research focusing on nursing or pharmacy education were excluded.
resultsUpon reviewing 23 qualified empirical studies that applied gamified learning strategies in medical education, 18 (78%) studies are associated with the second lowest level (uni-structural) of the SOLO taxonomy. The mid-level (multi-structural) learning outcomes are associated with three (13%) of the reviewed studies. There are five (22%) studies focusing on the second highest (relational) level of the SOLO. Only one study (4%) is associated with the highest SOLO level (extended-abstract). Finally, three (13%) studies were identified with multiple levels of the SOLO. In addition to the SOLO levels, the review found six (26%) studies emphasizing motivational and engagement support of gamified learning strategies in facilitating intended learning outcome attainment. A total of three (13%) studies, across three SOLO levels, suggested that gamified learning strategies can improve students' soft skills in medical education programs.
conclusionThese findings collectively emphasize the need for future research and development to design gamified learning experiences capable of fostering higher SOLO taxonomy attainment in medical education. Moreover, there is potential to extend the SOLO framework to encompass motivational and affective learning outcomes, providing a comprehensive understanding of the impact of gamified learning on medical students.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.