Are Escape Rooms an Antidote for Anxiety in Simulation? An Experimental Randomized Study Comparing High-Fidelity...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Simulation-based Learning
• Emergency Medicine Training

Background:

• Simulation-based education is a cornerstone of graduate medical training, enhancing knowledge acquisition.
• While effective, traditional simulations can induce cognitive overload and anxiety in learners.
• Escape rooms offer a gamified approach to simulation, increasing learner engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the impact of escape room simulation versus traditional scenario-based simulation on self-reported anxiety levels in medical residents.
• To assess and compare the medical knowledge acquisition between the two simulation formats.

Main Methods:

• A pediatric emergency medicine simulation case was adapted into an escape room format.
• Emergency medicine residents were randomized into either a traditional scenario-based group or an escape room group.
• Primary outcome: change in self-reported anxiety; Secondary outcome: change in medical knowledge quiz scores.

Main Results:

• Escape room participants reported significantly decreased anxiety post-simulation (52.05 to 31.10, p=0.002), unlike scenario-based participants (50.71 to 52.38).
• Both groups demonstrated similar improvements in medical knowledge acquisition (approximately 73%-80% and 71%-79%, respectively).
• No significant difference in knowledge gain was observed between the two simulation formats (p=0.665).

Conclusions:

• Escape room simulations achieve equivalent medical knowledge acquisition compared to traditional methods.
• The escape room format markedly reduces participant anxiety, presenting a favorable alternative for medical training.
• Gamified simulation, like escape rooms, shows potential for anxiety reduction in medical education.