Advancing team cohesion: Using an escape room as a novel approach

Abstract

Objective An escape room was used to study teamwork and its determinants, which have been found to relate to the quality and safety of patient care delivery. This pilot study aimed to explore the value of an escape room as a mechanism for improving cohesion among interdisciplinary healthcare teams. Methods This research was conducted at a nonprofit medical center in Southern California. All participants who work on a team were invited to participate. Authors employed an interrupted within-subjects design, with two pre- and post-escape room questionnaires related to two facets of group cohesion: (belonging – (PGC-B) and morale (PGC-M)). Participants rated their perceptions of group cohesion before, after, and one-month after the escape room. The main outcome measures included PGC-B/M. Results Sixty-two teams participated (n = 280 participants) of which 31 teams (50%) successfully “escaped” in the allotted 45 minutes. There was a statistically significant difference in PGC between the three time periods, F(4, 254) = 24.10, p < .001; Wilks’ Λ = .725; partial η2 = .275. Results indicated significantly higher scores for PGC immediately after the escape room and at the one-month follow-up compared to baseline. Conclusions This work offers insights into the utility of using an escape room as a team building intervention in interprofessional healthcare teams. Considering the modifiability of escape rooms, they may function as valuable team building mechanisms in healthcare. More work is needed to determine how escape rooms compare to more traditional team building curriculums.

Evaluation of a Postpartum Hemorrhage Escape Room: A Multisite Study

“…Similar to these findings, other studies noted the improvement of teamwork and collaboration with escape room activities (Friedrich et al, 2020;Garwood, 2020;. Cohen et al (2021) found higher scores for group cohesion immediately after the escape room and at the one month follow up.…”

A Novel Approach for Engagement in Team Training in High-Technology Surgery: The Robotic-Assisted Surgery Olympics

“…When their tasks include rewarding interpersonal interactions with coworkers, this promotes a sense of worthwhileness, dignity, and self-appreciation 46 . The current work was based on a prior study that used an escape room to advance healthcare team cohesion, which found benefits for team building within interprofessional healthcare teams 25 . Involvement of nurse leaders and managers together in the identification and development of strategies to improve staff engagement can have a direct impact on staff’s willingness to practice change 47 .…”

“…22 The popularity of escape rooms as entertainment, where teams of individuals work together to solve puzzles has also provided inspiration 23 with a promising evidence base of enhanced teamwork and collaboration among healthcare team members using these methods. 24,25 This can be much more engaging than traditional didactic teaching, while not requiring the level of resources or expertise necessary to run a full-scale high-fidelity simulation. 26,27 The introduction of robots into the operating room (OR) in particular has introduced a range of new challenges that teams need to account for including (1) a greater need to negotiate the physical environment, (2) adoption of team communication to manage various tasks and technologies, and (3) management of the robotic system to optimize efficiency and workflow.…”

Planning an Escape: Considerations for the Development of Applied Escape Rooms

“…Escape rooms can be used to facilitate team building by emphasizing variables related to teamwork such as cohesion, psychological safety, or team efficacy. For example, Cohen et al (2021) have demonstrated positive effects on perceptions of group cohesion among interdisciplinary healthcare teams resulting from a team-building escape room. In another case, a study of registered nurses and care assistants participated in an escape room and reported enjoyment, high satisfaction, and confidence in their ability to apply their knowledge to their clinical role (McLaughlin, Reed, Shiveley, & Lee, 2021).…”