Creation and implementation of a transplant medication patient education game for adolescents by a pediatric pharmacist and pharmacy students.

PURPOSE: This article describes the creation of a post-transplantation patient education game geared toward the adolescent kidney transplant population, led by a pediatric transplant pharmacist and pharmacy students, that was implemented at a medium-sized pediatric kidney transplant program in a large academic health system.

SUMMARY: The program was designed to address gaps in adolescent transplant education by integrating interactive gamification techniques using Blooket, a free electronic platform that employs an engaging quiz-style format with games and in-game rewards to enhance user engagement. Pharmacy students actively participated in developing and refining the educational content to engage adolescent transplant patients in learning about their medications. The creation and implementation of the game, patient feedback, challenges encountered, and lessons learned during the pilot phase are discussed, highlighting the potential for gamification to improve knowledge of and adherence to immunosuppression and infection prophylaxis medications among adolescent transplant patients.

CONCLUSION: Gamification offers a novel approach to enhancing medication education for adolescent transplant patients. The involvement of pharmacists and pharmacy students in developing and delivering gamified education can support patient engagement and transition to adult care. Future research is needed to evaluate the impact of gamification on clinical outcomes, including adherence and graft survival rates.