The Effect of escape room clinical evaluation method on satisfaction, learning, and preparedness to practice as interns of nursing students: a quasi-experimental quantitative study

Abstract

Background Clinical evaluation utilizing the escape room game is recognized as a novel method for assessing the team-oriented performance of learners. It is a tool for evaluating teamwork skills in clinical settings, which can boost student motivation and learning. This study aimed to investigate the effect of clinical evaluation through escape rooms and feedback provision through the PEARLS approach on pre-internship nursing students’ satisfaction, learning, and preparedness to practice as interns in the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences. Method The current research is a quasi-experimental quantitative study conducted with a census sample of 42 sixth-semester undergraduate nursing students at Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in 2022. The escape room method was utilized to evaluate entry preparedness into the clinical field. Reliable and valid researcher-made questionnaires were administered to assess the impact of the intervention on learning, satisfaction, and preparedness. The data were analyzed in SPSS version 26 using descriptive and inferential tests. The significance level was considered to be less than 0.05. Results 26 males and 16 females constituted the 42 participants (mean age: 23.46 years). The clinical evaluation method of the escape room game was deemed satisfactory or highly satisfactory by 80% of students. From their perspective, escape rooms were definitely or highly effective in shaping their preparedness to enter the clinical field. Comparing the students’ mean learning scores (self-assessment of clinical skills) before and after the test revealed that their post-test scores were significantly higher than their pre-test scores (p < 0.001). Conclusions Considering the satisfaction of nursing students with the clinical evaluation using the escape room game and its impact on student learning, it is recommended that this method be implemented in all medical education departments.