Gamification....eh?

The use of mobile technology in the context of collecting quality Real World Data – Gamification?

What is it?

Gamification is the use of game mechanics and game design (eg. point scoring, competition with others, rules of play) techniques in non-game contexts. Typically gamification applies to non-game applications and processes, in order to encourage people to adopt them, or to influence how they are used.

Gamification works by making technology more engaging:

• by encouraging users to engage in desired behaviours;
• showing a path to mastery and autonomy;
• by helping to solve problems and not being a distraction;
• by taking advantage of humans' psychological predisposition to engage in gaming.

The technique can encourage people to perform regular chores that they would ordinarily consider boring, such as completing surveys, shopping, filling out tax forms, or reading web sites.

So what?

In the context of collecting real world data and patient information for the purposes of improving outcomes this is an area of exponential growth in the last 5 years as technology has improved and become more cost-effective; from the use of apps on phones and tablets through to reminding patients to take their medication at its simplest level.

Within eHealth the concept has been most effectively applied to Mental Health disorders as these rely upon repetitive consistent questioning – essentially point-in-time measures.

What could the application of Gamification do for your organisation?

The principal can be applied to everyone both within and outside of an organisation; from adding a competitive element to completing time recording on a weekly basis ie fastest, least errors, most complete to name but a few – a task that relies upon quality collection of information at the first time of asking.

Indeed the success of Linkedin, as a social network, hinges on its ability to encourage user profile completion, regularity of updates and new content. Individual users will only find value in Linkedin when many other people have completed their profile. Yet unless individual users see value in the network, they are not likely to engage in the unpleasant activity of completing their profile. Similarly, ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ improve an individual’s online profile and perception.

Humans are creatures of habit

Because humans are creatures of habit, new habits are difficult to create. Yet to participate in clinical trials, that’s exactly what subjects must do. For example, subjects might need to take an investigational medication or complete a patient diary. These data points are notoriously poorly completed in the paper form and the data barely admissible.

The ability of patients to form habits around clinical trial Protocol requirements is what we refer to as patient compliance. Lack of compliance is the source of all sorts of negative consequences in clinical trials. Thus, subject habit creation is essential to the overall success of clinical trials.

Gamification, as a behavioural modification tool, can help subjects create new habits that improve patient compliance. Think about an activity tracker example; use of these trackers creates awareness and empowers users to change behaviour. This same principle can be applied in the context of patient compliance.

To use gamification effectively and ethically in this context, subjects must want to change their behaviour. If a patient has mixed feelings about a clinical trial because he/she finds an adverse event intolerable, for instance, gamification is not likely to be your solution.

Adam Walker

Adam is an experienced Subject Matter Expert in the field of Biometrics currently acting in this capacity for Synergy. He has a keen interest in the adaptation of technology to real-world data reporting; specifically within Clinical Research. With a background in Pharmaceutical Sciences, he has worked for both Pharma and CRO’s in a career spanning nearly 20 years in the field.

*Please connect with Adam on LinkedIn

Who are Synergy?

Synergy is a bespoke CRO delivered by the award-winning market leader in scientific recruitment, SRG. Our customers turn to us for the considerable cost savings, increased productivity and the flexibility that our professional services can deliver.

We promise excellent results first time, every time by ensuring:

• A dedicated resource model at competitive rates
• A dedicated Synergy Clinical Project Manager acting as your primary point of contact throughout the Biometrics process
• A stable and highly specialised team of Senior level experts, experienced in a range of client systems, SOPs and quality documents
• Clear and transparent resource scalability
• 
  
  
  

For further information, please visit www.srg.co.uk/synergy

SRG is a market leading recruitment company dedicated to the supply of scientific, clinical and engineering professionals across the scientific-based industries. Our commitment and passion to provide the right solution first time, coupled with our specialist sector knowledge, make SRG different from any other recruitment company. We constantly strive for excellence in all that we do.

www.srg.co.uk