Optipharm: enhancing pharmacological management skills in healthcare students for geriatric care through gamified e-learning

Background: Complexities in older patient care and frequent polypharmacy requires tailored tools, specific skills and interdisciplinary collaborations. Traditional disease-centered education often overlooks these issues. Despite digital gamification's relevance in health education, limited exploration exists for gamified platforms addressing polypharmacy, especially within comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). Objective: This study outlines Optipharm's design, a gamified e-learning tool designed to enhance health students' education in managing polypharmacy among older adults. It also assesses its usability using a validated scale. Methods: Optipharm development utilized gamification techniques guided by pedagogical principles. Learning objectives addressed clinical and educational gaps in older adult care. Hosted on a Moodle system, the platform housed a structured clinical case as a SCORM file, a usability scale, a certificate of achievement, and a literature library. Optipharm was assessed by 304 medical students from the University of Navarre, Spain, using the SUS-G-Sp scale. Results: An immersive gamified e-learning tool simulating clinical practice settings was developed, requiring users to assume the role of healthcare professionals in multidisciplinary outpatient consultations. The interface, with a 2D cartoon-style aesthetic, aligns with learning objectives, integrating engaging storytelling and clear instructions for CGA in Phase 1 and pharmacological optimization in Phase 2. The evaluation of Optipharm's usability revealed very positive perceptions among users, with high agreement rates on usability items. Conclusion: Optipharm represents a pioneering gamified tool designed to simulate clinical scenarios, allowing users to engage as healthcare professionals within multidisciplinary teams and address medication-related challenges in older patients with polypharmacy. It provides a secure, interactive learning environment with clear educational objectives and seamless integration of gamification elements, enhancing users¿ knowledge and skills in managing complex medication regimens. As a platform for experiential learning and knowledge exchange, Optipharm contributes to shaping the future of health education and fostering a culture of patient-centred care among future healthcare professionals.