Nursing students’ experience using an escape room for training clinical skills and competencies on emergency care: A qualitative observational study

Abstract

Game-based learning is increasing in nursing education. Also, the assessment of the utility of the escape room game is growing. To explore nursing students' opinion about the escape room as an evaluation game, a qualitative observational study with nursing students was carried out. An ad hoc questionnaire with open questions was sent after the game learning experience. The escape room included knowledge and techniques from different specialties. The escape room learning game was a positive experience for the students. The main highlighted characteristics were fun, dynamic, and motivating way to study and learn. Other interesting variables were: "Working as a team and under pressure" (It's a group activity in which everyone must work together. It is a good challenge to learn how to work in urgent situations) and "Different way to assess students´ learning" (In this type of game, I can show more things and not only theoretical knowledge). Game-based learning is increasing in nursing education, as well as the assessment of the utility of the escape room game. Using an escape room for assessing nursing students' knowledge is a positive experience. This learning experience can be also used with nurses in different specialties to promote teamwork and working under pressure.

Using active learning strategies during a quality improvement collaborative: exploring educational games to enhance learning among healthcare professionals

“…However, to the best of our knowledge, reports have yet to be published on game-based strategies in Collaborative LS. Both the card game and the escape room game were well-received by our participants, as they have been in other initiatives 10…”

“…LS offers an environment where ‘everyone learns, everyone teaches’ 3 7 8. Conservative strategies such as unidirectional (paternalistic) interaction, exhibitions and classes have been replaced in recent years by more dynamic strategies in which experience, interaction and critical thinking become the central axes of medical education 4 5 9–12. ‘Learning by doing’ has become a widely used pedagogical tool, mainly in the health area, where different skills and abilities are honed in fictitious scenarios or on a day-to-day basis under the supervision of mentors 13 14.…”

“…Games are already widely used in the academic environment as an educational tool, mainly in undergraduate medical and nursing courses 4 5 9 10 20. However, to the best of our knowledge, reports have yet to be published on game-based strategies in Collaborative LS.…”

Innovate and Educate

“…Each room has a different topic and an objective, which is usually related to finding some kind of object. To overcome the escape room, it is crucial to find objects and clues that, through thinking and logic, help you go forward in the story and open locks and doors to exit the room 10. This type of innovative teaching strategy may offer a different opportunity to encourage students to build critical thinking skills and collaborate with peers.…”

Meta-Analysis of the Effect of the Escape Room Teaching Method on Nursing Education

“…The escape room teaching method combines theory, practice, and special space layout with professional knowledge as the clue [4] . The escape room teaching method has been widely used in many aspects of emergency nursing [5] , infectious disease knowledge education [6] , community nursing [7] , and so on. Currently, the research on utilizing the escape room teaching method in nursing education is still in the early stages of development [8,9] .…”