This research is a quasi-experimental quantitative study conducted in 2022 at the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery of Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. The aim was to examine the satisfaction, learning, and preparedness to practice as interns of pre-internship nursing students upon participating in escape room-based clinical evaluations.
Data Collection
In order to hold the test, the escape room test committee was formed in the first step, followed by an examination of the clinical skills learning objectives for nursing students and the determination and confirmation of the final evaluation objectives. Certain clinical skills were identified as must-learn skills, and a blueprint of educational content was developed. Clinical functions that students must master include hand hygiene, communication with the patient, control and monitoring of vital signs, gavage and lavage, venipuncture and fluid therapy, injections, vaccinations, oxygen therapy, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, teamwork, and wound care and dressing. Afterward, the escape room scenario was designed based on the evaluation of the mentioned skills. A list of sixth-semester nursing students, along with their GPAs, was requested. In accordance with their six-semester GPA, 42 sixth-semester nursing students were divided into five groups of 8–9 individuals, and a group leader was appointed for each group.
The evaluators were selected from the academic staff of the nursing department who had previously served as evaluators of the OSCE (of nursing principles and techniques) and nursing final exams. Three rooms resembling a hospital ward with visual effects served as escape rooms. Located in the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery’s skills lab, the rooms were designed similarly to hospital ward rooms and were equipped with a sink, glove box, patient bed, telephone, and monitor, among other things. The list of evaluated skills was presented to the office of the clinical skills center so as to provide the necessary resources and facilities. A manikin serving as the simulated patient was placed on the bed, and a speaker was installed in each room. A person spoke in place of the simulated patient in the room (manikin).
The evaluators visited the escape rooms in person and were given ample time to ask questions and receive explanations about the game. They were briefed on the game scenario and instructed on how to provide PEARLS-based feedback. Immediately prior to the commencement of the escape room game, all the students participated in a 10-minute introductory meeting in which they were presented with the necessary rules and explanations. The students subsequently entered the quarantine room. Three groups of students were evaluated simultaneously using three escape rooms, and each group was given 45 minutes to solve the escape rooms’ puzzles.
The evaluator used a camera to observe how the students in each team performed their skills, and the learners’ performance was evaluated as a team. After solving the escape room puzzles, the results of the students’ skills were evaluated, and the evaluator reviewed the students’ performance in person. Using the PEARLS model, faculty members provided each group with feedback during a sixty-minute session.
Simulation programs use the PEARLS model for feedback provision, which includes five steps:
1- Presenting the program schedule (the operational program of the feedback session) to the students to foster a secure learning environment
2- Obtaining students’ initial reactions/emotions with the intent of exploring and investigating students’ emotions regarding the evaluation
Participants are asked about their emotions.
3- Description: The purpose of the description is to provide information and clarify the facts, including posing questions such as what happened and what actions were taken. The evaluators must determine whether or not the reason for poor student performance is obvious, whether the student is using the equipment properly, or whether the student does not know what to do.
4- Analysis: In this stage, the learners are required to identify their successful interventions and those they would change if they could go back in time, explaining why they would do so. The evaluator will present the knowledge/information necessary for eliminating student performance gaps.
5- Summary of applications/lessons learned. Students are asked to identify two points they can apply in the future.
Students were given a full explanation of the scenario, the study procedures, and the nursing skills assessed in the escape room. In order to better answer the students’ questions about the evaluated equipment and clinical skills, a feedback presentation session was held in the escape room so that, if necessary, the students’ troublesome clinical skills could be applied to a simulated patient. The protocol’s effectiveness was evaluated using the Kirkpatrick model. In addition, the researcher-developed questionnaires of test satisfaction, feedback satisfaction based on the PEARLS model, and the test impact on students’ preparedness for practicing as interns were administered as post-tests. Moreover, the researcher-made questionnaire of the participants’ learning level was administered as both a pre-test and a post-test. The questionnaires were given to ten nursing and medical education faculty members to assess their face validity. The test objectives and operational definitions pertaining to the content of the questions were explained to the experts. Face validity was evaluated based on a tool’s appearance and the writing and readability of the items. The reliability of the questionnaires was also evaluated using the internal consistency method.
The six-item student satisfaction questionnaire was scored on a five-point Likert scale ranging from strongly agree (5 points) to strongly disagree (1 point). It was completed by participants in person after playing the escape room game as a post-test. The minimum and maximum possible scores are 6 and 30, respectively. A score of 1–10 suggests undesirable satisfaction, a score of 10–20 is indicative of relatively favorable satisfaction, and a score of 20–30 indicates desirable satisfaction. The Cronbach’s alpha for this survey was 0.88.
The clinical skills self-assessment questionnaire contained 12 questions, each of which was scored on a five-point scale from very certain (5 points) to very uncertain (1 point). It was administered in person as both a pre- and post-test. The minimum and maximum possible scores on this survey are 12 and 60, respectively. A score between 1 and 20 indicates an undesirable clinical skill status, a score between 20 and 40 indicates a relatively desirable status, and a score between 40 and 60 is regarded as desirable. The Cronbach’s alpha for this survey was 0.82.
The PEARLS-based feedback questionnaire consisted of five questions, each of which was scored on a five-point Likert scale ranging from strongly agree (5 points) to strongly disagree (1 point). The participants completed it as a post-test in person after playing the escape room game. This questionnaire has a minimum score of 5 and a maximum score of 25. Scores between 1 and 8 indicate undesirable satisfaction, scores between 8 and 16 indicate somewhat satisfactory satisfaction, and scores between 16 and 25 are regarded as satisfactory. Its Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.85.
The preparedness assessment questionnaire contains seven items that are scored on a five-point Likert scale ranging from definitely effective (5 points) to definitely ineffective (5 points) (1 point). The participants completed the questionnaire after playing the escape room game as a post-test and in person. The minimum and maximum possible scores on this survey are 7 and 35, respectively. A score between 1 and 12 indicates undesirable preparedness, a score between 12 and 24 indicates relatively desirable preparedness, and a score between 24 and 35 indicates desirable preparedness. The Cronbach’s alpha for this survey was 0.87.