A recent online medical contest, headed by UBM Medica US, just ended – and it was a big success.
The five-week Diagnostic Champions’ Challenge tournament had healthcare practitioners compete against each other on a primary care website, solving sets of multiple-choice diagnostic dilemmas. They were given 60 seconds to solve each question, with points awarded based on level of difficulty. The clinical topics ranged from diagnosing minor bumps and bruises to sexually transmitted infections and dermatologic conditions.
The contest culminated with the top physician and non-physician players from the first four weeks competing in the final round. Eventually, winners were posted on ConsultantLive.com.
The contest, initially aimed at internists, was such a massive hit that the company behind the challenge now plan on designing a similar contest for oncology professionals. Because of the positive feedback, the firm is also extending the tournament, with the very next challenge taking place on the CancerNetwork.com website.
The rising popularity of medical education gaming has seen several firms similar to UBM Medica tapping into the market. A few years ago, physician site MDLinx launched a feature called The Smartest Doc, a daily quiz with four or five questions on the medical literature, along with a leader board to show where contestants rate against their peers.
Do you have any experience with medical educational gaming? Do you think there is marketing value in having physicians compete in popular online medical contests like the Diagnostic Champions’ Challenge? Let us know in the comments!
