Creation of a "Patient" Hospital Escape Room Experience to Reduce Harm and Improve Quality of Care

Abstract

Background: Increases in nursing documentation requirements, adherence to regulatory standards, and workforce diversity add to the complexity of delivering safe patient care.

Purpose: The aim was to reinforce elements of quality and safety in patient care delivery.

Approach: In an effort to deliver necessary, though often dull, regulatory information to nursing staff, a team of nurse educators and nursing quality leaders used the concepts of a popular social game to develop an escape room.

Outcomes: The escape room was conducted with nearly 100 learners with both a regulatory focus and a patient safety focus with success. Participants stated that teamwork, communication, and problem-solving were necessary to escape the room; nearly 60% indicated the escape room experience would contribute to changes in their nursing practice.

Conclusions: The escape room template can be easily modified to target a myriad of learning objectives and learners of varying levels of experience.