Table 3 Principal applications of gamification in anesthesia, pain medicine, and critical care

Simulation^a

Scenarios include airway management (e.g., intubation, difficult airway situations, and emergency airway maneuvers), regional anesthesia, CRP, trauma, intraoperative crisis management (e.g., massive bleeding, equipment failure, or allergic reactions), patient safety (e.g., identifying and managing potential safety hazards, medication errors, and adverse events), particular contexts (e.g., obstetric anesthesia), CRM principles, POCUS.

Could be integrated into immersive technologies such as VR and AR.

Simulations can be used to develop and study various scenarios, drug interactions, and patient responses in controlled environments.

Obstetric anesthesia

It can be used to simulate realistic labor and delivery scenarios, allowing trainees to practice decision-making under pressure.

Dedicated apps offer powerful collaborative learning environments.

Ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia

It can be beneficial in acquiring sonoanatomy images, interpreting anatomical structures, and refining precise hand–eye coordination.

The inclusion of game-based education and learning processes in UGRA curricula is a conceivable possibility.

Game‐based distraction

Interventions based on gaming (through gamification or AR/VR) can reduce preoperative anxiety.

Strategies such as digital games, interactive and VR distractions (e.g., guided imagery and storytelling), are designed to capture the child's focus.

Pain management

For pain-related education, self-monitoring, goal setting, social support, and the instruction of self-care strategies, including stress management.

Mostly centered around app-based solutions.

Other applications:

 • Patient compliance

Gamification can be used for pre-operative training (e.g., avatar coaches) and to encourage patients to follow post-operative care instructions, including medication schedules, exercises, and follow-up appointments.

It can nurture a sense of responsibility and accountability within patients who are more likely to actively participate in their recovery process.

 • Patient monitoring

Applications could be designed to monitor postoperative health status and track improvements or deteriorations in their lifestyles. It can be applied in various settings.

Games can include features such as key performance indicators and sharing achievements on social media platforms.

 • Research aims

Simulation-based and gamification can be combined to study the effects of training and skill assessment, patient safety and quality improvement, and patient experience and education.

Anesthesia researchers can explore complex scenarios, gather valuable data, and develop evidence-based insights.