The impact on nursing STUDENTS' opinions and motivation of using a “nursing escape room’ as a teaching game:A descriptive study

Abstract

Background: According to previous studies on nursing education, although the use of games can produce positive results, the vast majority are based on questions and answers or on clinical situations. As an alternative, the "Escape Room" teaching game is a much more dynamic option to asses theoretical and practical knowledge, and it may also promote teamwork and the ability to perform under pressure. Objectives: To analyse nursing students' opinions and study motivations after using the nursing "Escape Room" teaching game. Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study. Participants: Second-year nursing students enrolled in the 'Adult Nursing 1' subject. Method: After completing the teaching game, the students who had taken part in it were asked to fill in an ad-hoc questionnaire on the matter. In this game, students have 30 min in which they must solve the riddles and puzzles presented, and thus escape. In doing so, they must demonstrate both theoretical and practical knowledge, and a teacher will remain in the classroom to assess whether the nursing techniques in question are correctly performed. Results: The nursing students who took part in the game strongly believed that this 'helped them learn the subject' (4.8 points) and that 'more games of this type should be included in their nursing studies' (4.8 points). Overall, they considered that 'the game was enjoyable' (4.6 points), "helped them in the exam" (4.6 points), and "motivated them to study" (4.5 points). Conclusions: The "Escape Room" is a useful game; it stimulates learning, is fun to play, and motivates studying.