"Serious Games" are increasingly being used in healthcare. Now they have reached
pharmacists, allowing them to better advise osteoarthritis patients (please
find also Serious Games For Healthcare Design Beyond the Hospital)
Osteoarthritis,
OA, is a chronic disease that affects some 27 million Americans according to the Arthritis Foundation.
OA is
characterized by the breakdown of cartilage – the part of a joint that cushions
the ends of the bones and allows easy movement. As cartilage deteriorates,
bones begin to rub against one another. This can cause stiffness
and pain that make it difficult for you to use that joint.
Osteoarthritis can also damage ligaments, menisci and muscles.
The pain and stiffness of osteoarthritis can make it difficult to do daily activities including your job, play sports or even get around with ease. That’s why it’s important to learn all you can about this disease, how it affects you and how to live with it – a process called self management.
Developed by
KTM Avance Studio in collaboration
with Expanscience Labs, Arthrogame is a free online game
intended primarily for pharmacists but that can also be played by the general
public as a way to learn more about the disease.
Arthrogame puts the player in the shoes of a pharmacist, who has to give a fit-for-purpose
advice to three different profiles of OA patients.
Each
patient seeks the pharmacist answers to a number of questions about the
disease: risk factors, evolution, symptoms, etc. The player must provide the
appropriate advice with the game testing player’s knowledge about the disease
on one hand, while also emphasizing player’s attitude towards the patient.
About Expanscience Labs
Interactive Website
The pharmaceutical and cosmetic laboratory Expanscience has revamped its portal dedicated to osteoarthritis, featuring new digital services to patients, physicians and pharmacists.
Arthrolink.com is more interactive and intuitive. Since February 2013 a number of new videos and interactive media have been posted to the site, including the Serious Game Arthrogame.
Arthrolink also gives health professionals the opportunity to learn, train and advise their patients through dedicated teaching materials. A committee of three renowned rheumatologists updated and validated all data and portal content has been approved by AFLAR - Association Française de Lutte Antirhumatismale.
The pharmaceutical and cosmetic laboratory Expanscience has revamped its portal dedicated to osteoarthritis, featuring new digital services to patients, physicians and pharmacists.
Arthrolink.com is more interactive and intuitive. Since February 2013 a number of new videos and interactive media have been posted to the site, including the Serious Game Arthrogame.
Arthrolink also gives health professionals the opportunity to learn, train and advise their patients through dedicated teaching materials. A committee of three renowned rheumatologists updated and validated all data and portal content has been approved by AFLAR - Association Française de Lutte Antirhumatismale.