Abstract: Gamification simply refers to incorporating game features into a nongame environment. The main objective of gamification is to engage users with a particular activity for a certain period of time. Gamification is commonly digital, but it is not limited to digital technology.
Gamification allows users to assess their performance on a real-time basis. They receive rewards in the form of badges, points, levels, and scoreboards.
This real-time feedback feature motivates users to remain consistent in that particular activity and develop a good habit.
Gamification utilizes the natural traits of human beings to transform a humdrum task into the most engaging one.
These traits are:
- Curiosity
- Goal and Competitiveness
- Wish for accomplishment
- Desire for achievement
Game designers use all of these human emotional traits to make a game most effective and engaging. Now gamification technology is widely used in rehabilitative care to make the therapeutic process exciting.
Patient non-compliance and non-engagement are common issues in Rehabilitative care, but now these can be resolved with GAMIFICATION.
Let’s see how it resolves the big problem and keep patients on right track
How does gamification work in Rehabilitative Therapy?
Physiotherapy and Occupational therapy have included computer games to boost attractiveness, engagement, and motivation. All these elements make a therapy patient-compliant and captivating. Games in rehabilitative care are designed to stimulate our reward-related dopaminergic process, which facilitates the brain’s natural learning abilities.
In rehabilitative therapy, experts use Immersion in games and Reward in-games
Immersion in game is used to advance attention level & focus
In rehabilitative care, focus and concentration are very important. Unfortunately, patients get easily distracted by their pain. Thus, experts use Immersion in-game multisensory therapy to engage patients physically and emotionally.
An immersive game refers to a game in which patients feel as engaged as they would feel in reality. It is associated with Virtual Reality(VR).
Immersive game is an excellent technique to increase focus, attention, and engagement and minimize the distraction level.
Reward in-games; The best way to stimulate dopamine release
Why is dopamine release so important in rehab therapy?
Because It facilitates neural plasticity, which in turn boosts patients’ learning ability, the brain releases dopamine when it gets rewards. Games have the potential to stimulate dopamine release, which consequently manipulates patients’ behavior in a positive way towards treatment. Dopamine release is great to increase learning ability and offers a better healing effect in pain management.
Therefore, rehab care is incomplete without dopamine actions because healing is a matter of not only physical but also psychological.
Why Therapists are consistently integrating Patient-centric Gamification into their Rehabilitative program
- Gamification motivates physically disabled patients to continue their daily exercise. Patients who suffer from certain orthopedic conditions, trauma, and injuries, often feel challenged to start and continue rehab exercises. They don’t want to face the pain. But incorporating Games in therapy motivates them to continue their routine exercises.
- Gamification gives patients real-time feedback. Feedback functions as a mental alert. Positive feedback motivates patients to continue their training, whereas negative feedback says where they are lacking or at which point they need improvement. The feedback loop keeps patients consistent and increases patient compliance.
- Digital rehab care games are easily customized based on patients’ concerns, choices, and abilities. Games come with various options from which therapists can customize their therapeutic session for each patient. Patients can also select a game based on their preferences, tendencies, and interests. Advanced sets of games come with sophisticated measuring metrics of strength, flexibility, and range of motion which helps therapists to make better treatment plans for each patient.
- One of the considerable difficulties rehab therapists face is patients refusing to comply with the therapy program till the end. This non-adherence attitude towards treatment prevents them from achieving optimum output from it. But by incorporating gamification, patients are more willing to move beyond exercise and show interest in it. It means gamification increases compliance and decreases refusal rates, which is beneficial for both therapists and patients. Few games come with personalized 3D sensors to monitor performance consistently.
What are the business benefits of gamification
Gamification is not only good for the clinical perspective, but it also contributes to business aspects.
How does gamification impact your healthcare business?
Here is the answer.
Gamification increases employee engagement, and it means therapist engagement. This “ENGAGEMENT” element indirectly improves the quality of the rehab care services. When therapists and patients both feel courageous to accomplish targeted fitness goals, that ends up with a highly successful outcome. When therapists succeed with their patients, they also feel motivated and dedicated to their job, which minimizes employee turnover.
Happier employees with Satisfied clients dramatically improve clinical reputation.
We have discussed a lot of gamification and its advantages in rehab care.
Now it is time to show an example.
Squegg; It is a Bluetooth-enabled dynamometer that helps users to measure, evaluate and improve their grip strength. It is featured with advanced gamification and fun exercises that encourage patients to complete their regular grip counts. Its data-driven digital gamification promotes consistency in hand therapy.
So, if you are a rehab care therapist, and wish to make your hand therapy program more precise and result-driven, then include Squegg in your rehabilitative program!