Escape rooms in nursing: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background: Escape rooms, spaces where teams collaborate to uncover clues, solve puzzles, and complete tasks, are increasingly prevalent in nursing education. This review describes a systematic review and meta-analysis on the effectiveness of escape rooms in nursing. Method: Searches were conducted across multiple databases, including MEDLINE, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection, Academic Search Complete, MedicLatina, Teacher Reference Center, SciELO, and Cochrane. Results: The analysis encompassed nine studies published between 2020 and 2024. The findings showed a significant enhancement in technical knowledge in pre- and postintervention comparisons. The effects on teamwork skills showed high heterogeneity, indicating variability in outcomes across the studies. Conclusion: Escape rooms have proven effective in enhancing nursing knowledge, validating their use as an innovative and efficient pedagogical tool. Future research should focus on standardizing interventions and longterm evaluation to better determine the sustained efficacy of escape rooms as a learning method.