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 long-term evaluation to better determine the sustained efficacy of escape rooms as a learning method.