Purpose
Finding creative ways for learners to engage with educational medical content and curriculum is pivotal in making the learning process more enjoyable and efficient. In June 2023, the New York Times launched a word puzzle game, Connections, that challenged players to group 16 words into sets of 4 based on a well-known shared theme or relationship. Since its launch, the game was played 2.3 billion times in 2023 alone. The widespread engagement of this game has inspired us to create MedConnect, a twist on the original game, that focuses solely on connections and themes within medicine. The aim is for our game to captivate the medical community at any level of training (medical students, residents, and attending physicians) by offering a unique presentation of medical content and enable more consistent review of medical material.

Methods
Medical textbooks, such as Robbins and Cotran’s Pathologic Basis of Diseases and First Aid, were parsed to generate medical connections in groupings of 4 that were defined under a shared theme. Shared themes fall within fields including cardiology, dermatology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology, infectious diseases, musculoskeletal, nephrology, neurology, pharmacology, pulmonology, and rheumatology. We created 16-word puzzles from 4 groups of 4 connections from the same theme. In cases where one item may fit into more than one category, we ensured there could only be one solution to the puzzle where only 4 words can fit into their respective category, fulfilling 4 total categories.

Results
Over 100 connection puzzles representing over 400 unique groupings were developed and are ready to be tested. An example puzzle: 16-words [Calcium, Proteinuria, Electrolytes, Hematuria, Hypoalbuminemia, Edema, Overload, Cystine, RBC casts, Hyperlipidemia, Hypertension, Acidosis, Oliguria, Intoxication, Struvite, Uric] would be solved into the following Connections: [Renal calculi - Struvite, Cystine, Uric, Calcium], [Nephrotic syndrome - Proteinuria, Hypoalbuminemia, Edema, Hyperlipidemia] ; [Nephritic syndrome - Hematuria, Hypertension, Oliguria, RBC casts]; [Hemodialysis indications (AEIOU) - Acidosis, Electrolytes, Intoxication, Overload].

Conclusion
Future work includes developing the user interface through which learners can interact with the connections game. The first version of the app will be launched to first and second-year medical students at Carle Illinois College of Medicine, as well as attending physicians across various specialties at Carle Foundation Hospital. Analytics will be collected to understand game trends, such as the level of training compared to the time taken to complete the puzzle. Surveys will be conducted to determine the accuracy, engagement, and retention of medical knowledge. The goal is to refine and expand MedConnect based on user feedback, ultimately integrating it into medical education as a high-value, interactive educational tool building off the successful NYT Connections.