Improving Health Care by Gamifying It

Physicians often struggle to help patients change their health behaviors. Patients may know that they need to quit smoking, lose weight, or exercise more, but summoning the will to change is hard. It’s particularly difficult for the highest-risk patients who may have life circumstances — challenges such as unemployment or homelessness — that make it harder for them to focus on the long-term. But combining behavioral economics and “gamification” — putting game elements such as points and achievement levels into non-game contexts — holds promise for driving behavior change when a doctor’s advice, and patient’s good intentions, are not enough. Prompts and rewards can help patients stick to their treatments.