Development of and User Feedback on a Board and Online Game to Educate on Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship

Diane Ashiru-Oredope; Maxencia Nabiryo; Andy Yeoman; Melvin Bell; Sarah Cavanagh; Nikki D'Arcy; William Townsend; Dalius Demenciukas; Sara Yadav; Frances Garraghan; Vanessa Carter; Victoria Rutter; Richard Skone-James

doi:10.3390/antibiotics11050611

Development of and User Feedback on a Board and Online Game to Educate on Antimicrobial Resistance and Stewardship

Antibiotics (Basel). 2022 May 1;11(5):611. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11050611.

Affiliations

¹ Commonwealth Pharmacists Association, London E1W 1AW, UK.
² Focus Games Ltd., Glasgow G40 1DA, UK.
³ Health and Education Trust, London NW1 4LE, UK.

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly antibiotic resistance, is one of the most challenging global health threats of our time. Tackling AMR requires a multidisciplinary approach. Whether a clinical team member is a cleaner, nurse, doctor, pharmacist, or other type of health worker, their contribution towards keeping patients safe from infection is crucial to saving lives. Existing literature portrays that games can be a good way to engage communities in joint learning. This manuscript describes an educational antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) game that was co-created by a multidisciplinary team of health professionals spanning across high- and low- to middle-income countries. The online AMS game was promoted and over 100 players across 23 countries registered to participate on 2 occasions. The players were asked to share feedback on the game through a short online form. Their experiences revealed that the game is relevant for creation of awareness and understanding on antimicrobial stewardship in both high- and low-to-middle income settings worldwide.

Keywords: AMS Game; Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship; CwPAMS; antimicrobial resistance (AMR); antimicrobial stewardship (AMS); board game; game-based learning; gamification; gaming; online game.

Grants and funding

This project and partnership were part of the Commonwealth Partnerships for Antimicrobial Stewardship (CwPAMS) managed by the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET) and Commonwealth Pharmacists Association (CPA). CwPAMS is a global health partnership programme funded by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) using UK aid funding, managed by the Fleming Fund. The Fleming Fund is a £265 million UK aid investment to tackle AMR by supporting low- and middle-income countries to generate, use, and share data on AMR and is managed by the UK Department of Health and Social Care. The views expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of the Department of Health and Social Care, the UK National Health Service, the Tropical Health and Education Trust, or The Commonwealth Pharmacists Association.