A medical escape room to build intern workplace social capital in an internal medicine residency program

Trainee well-being is a growing focus in graduate medical education. One emerging area in occupational literature is the psychosocial environment of the workplace, of which a large component is workplace social capital (WSC). WSC encompasses how well a group connects to one another. Medical escape rooms (MERs) recently have been studied in various healthcare settings and are one proposed intervention to increase WSC.

This is a single-center before-and-after survey study at the Loyola University Medical Center in 2021 to measure the effect of a MER on WSC amongst interns. Our Chief Resident created a 1-hour MER. WSC scores were measured using a modified version of a validated WSC scale. Scores were analyzed with paired t-test analysis and chi-square analysis. Open-ended feedback was also collected.

Of 52 eligible intern residents, 51 (98%) participated in the MER, and 41 (80%) completed the pre- and post-activity survey. All six survey statements had a greater percentage of positive responses following the MER. The average score across all participants and questions was 4.66 out of 5 on the pre-survey, and 4.90 on the post-survey (p < 0.001).

The MER significantly improved intern resident WSC scores, and proved a valuable addition to our curriculum.