Drug Round Game

Patient safety and medicines management are areas of concern for all healthcare providers, and patients. Most medicines incidents and overdoses are avoidable with appropriate education and training. The majority of avoidable errors happen when drugs are being administered and it is likely that more effective staff training can reduce errors by improving knowledge, confidence and numeracy.

The Drug Round Game is an educational board game designed to help frontline healthcare professionals to understand, recognise and minimise medication errors. It was developed by Focus Games Ltd in partnership with City University London and Health Education England.

The game helps to improve players’ understanding of what medication errors are, the impact they have and why they happen. It also helps to develop the knowledge and confidence that students and staff need to reduce the incidence of medication errors.

The game is specifically designed for frontline healthcare staff who are directly and indirectly involved in the administration of medications to patients and service users. They include:

1. Registered nurses (adult) who dispense and administer drugs
2. Other healthcare professionals who administer drugs
3. Student nurses
4. Junior doctors (FY1 & FY2)
5. Pharmacy staff

“I have played the Drug Round Game with nursing staff and they became really competitive and it generated very useful discussions. I loved the look of the game and the ease of playing.” Diane Last. Clinical Practice and Education Coordinator and Non Medical Clinical Tutor, West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust

The game sparks a series of reflective discussions and contains questions designed to deliver and test knowledge, especially around drug calculations. The game has a narrative structure that is designed to help players develop a ‘big picture’ by covering specific issues:

1. Describe the problem in clinical and human terms
2. Illuminate the size and seriousness of the problem
3. Describe the nature of errors and where and how they occur
4. Explain that players have direct impact on patient safety
5. Deliver information and practical advice that can be put into practice immediately
6. Use the game to test player’s knowledge, especially numeracy skills, to highlight gaps

How does it work?

The Drug Round Game is an adaptation of ‘snakes and ladders’ and it gives players the opportunity to exchange ideas, participate in interactive discussions relating to medication safety and to practice drug calculations in a safe and relaxed environment.

The game is very easy to set-up and manage and is designed for between 4 and 12 players divided into 2 competing teams. Games usually last for between 45 and 60 minutes but can made shorter or longer depending on individual circumstances. The facilitator does not need to be an expert on medication errors and their role can be very ‘hands off’. Games can be run as standalone activities or as part of more structured learning and workshops.