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AI Hospital
Board game on AI in Healthcare
How can AI improve healthcare? And how do we implement AI in an ethical way? These key questions drive AI+ Hospital, an educational board game developed as part of the AIProHealth online curriculum. AIProHealth has been adopted by approximately 2,250 learners worldwide. In collaboration with the Data Science Center in Health (DASH), we designed this board game as a complementary learning tool. It has since gained significant interest, both within and beyond the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG).
Strengths of AI+ Hospital
1
Transforming theoretical knowledge into practical application.
2
Exploring AI from multiple perspectives—quality, ethics, finance, and empathy
3
Encouraging open, unbiased discussions on AI fears and assumptions.
Want to know more about customised board games?
Mail bas@8d-games.nl
Game designer Bas tells you more about the process
How do we engage healthcare professionals in critical discussions on AI?
AIProHealth (Practical Artificial Intelligence for Healthcare Professionals) is a large international consortium funded by an EIT Health grant. Within this consortium, experts collaborate to develop a flexible AI learning platform featuring multiple modules. One of these is the course “How Artificial Intelligence Can Support Healthcare,” which is accessible via FutureLearn and has been adopted by professionals worldwide. The program aims to provide healthcare professionals with a foundational understanding of AI, enabling them to assess its potential applications and limitations in clinical practice.
However, acquiring theoretical knowledge alone is not enough. How can we ensure that participants translate what they’ve learned into real-world practice? And how do we foster critical discussions on AI’s opportunities, challenges, and ethical and legal dimensions? To address these needs, a physical learning tool was introduced—an interactive board game designed to stimulate dialogue and reinforce key insights from the course. 8D Games led the concept and development of this engaging, discussion-driven learning experience.
Approach
Developing a serious game for healthcare requires input from domain experts. Through a series of brainstorming sessions, we explored future scenarios for AI in healthcare. DASH then designed patient journeys—realistic case studies illustrating how AI could provide solutions in different situations. These narratives form the core structure of the game. By involving experts throughout the process, we ensured that the game content is both accurate and well-balanced, addressing not only the technical aspects of AI but also its ethical and legal implications in healthcare.
This approach allowed us to facilitate meaningful discussions on AI in healthcare through game mechanics. Game designer Bas Altenburg intentionally embedded an implicit message into the gameplay: the focus is not on finding the perfect answer but on engaging in discussion. The scoring system reinforces this idea—players who remain silent earn zero points, while those who contribute, even with imperfect answers, still receive a point. Altenburg explains: “It may seem like a small adjustment, but these subtle design choices are highly effective. The goal of this game is to encourage discussion and knowledge exchange, so we reward behaviors that align with that objective.”
Results
AI+ Hospital is widely used at conferences, symposia, and educational events. Project leader Peter van Ooijen (DASH) observes: “The game works best when there’s a mix of people at the table—professionals from different fields and knowledge levels. That really brings the discussion to life.”
Data scientist Eline Meijer, who frequently facilitates the game at events, notes that participants are often pleasantly surprised: “It’s great to see how some people start out skeptical or hesitant, but by the second round, they’re fully engaged. Sometimes, they even argue with the game facilitator because they feel their choice should have earned more points! Or they don’t want to stop playing because they’re too curious about the outcome for the fictional patient. That’s when you know the game has done its job—AI in healthcare will stay on their minds long after the session ends.”
Although the educational board game was initially designed as a closing activity for the FutureLearn course, it is now frequently used as a standalone tool. Interestingly, the game’s popularity at events and conferences has also led more people to discover the online course. In this way, AI+ Hospital has become more than just a learning tool—it’s also a powerful promotional instrument for the full AI in healthcare curriculum.
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