Enhancing Interprofessional Awareness Through a Gamified Self-Directed Radiology Department Immersion Experience: A Cross-Sectional Study of Medical Students in Saudi Arabia

Background: Undergraduate curricula rarely give medical students direct exposure to the non-physician professionals who make radiology practice possible. This study evaluated interprofessional awareness outcomes of the Radiology Kingdom, a self-directed, gamified radiology immersion activity introduced into a curriculum with no prior departmental visit, at a tertiary referral centre in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Third-year medical students at King Saud University participated in Radiology Kingdom visits from November 2025 through April 2026. Following completion of the course and Institutional Review Board approval, an anonymous, voluntary electronic questionnaire was distributed to eligible students through the official course communication channel. Of 112 submissions (~270 eligible, 41.5% response rate), one probable duplicate was identified during data-quality screening and excluded, leaving 111 analysed responses. A six-item domain assessed perceived improvement in understanding technologist, nurse, and PACS staff roles, and perceptions of collaboration, teamwork, and communication. Non-parametric tests and Cronbach’s α were used. Results: Internal consistency was excellent (α = 0.899). Composite interprofessional education (IPE) score was 4.29/5.00 (SD 0.89); 73.0% scored 4 or above, and 38.7% scored at the ceiling (5.00 on all six items). Technologist understanding was highest (4.51, mandatory task-based contact), PACS intermediate (3.99), and nurse understanding lowest (3.81, minimal contact). No differences emerged by gender or prior exposure (p > 0.05), but a significant association with self-reported month of visit was observed (H = 16.02, p = 0.007, ε2 = 0.146), with lower scores among students reporting visits later in the academic year. Conclusions: Role-specific awareness scores showed a pattern consistent with differences in the structured contact built into the activity. A guaranteed nurse-specific encounter represents a practical design modification for addressing the lowest-scoring professional role. The month-of-visit association should be interpreted cautiously, because visit month was also related to the interval between the educational experience and subsequent questionnaire completion.