Background

Evidence-based practice is a key component of nurses’ professional competence, as it helps ensure that decisions about patient care are based on the best available research evidence, clinical expertise, and the needs and preferences of the patient. It is important to strengthen competence in evidence-based nursing already during nursing education so that future nurses are equipped to search for information, critically appraise it, apply it in clinical practice, and make well-founded clinical decisions. Escape room games provide an interactive and experiential way to practise these skills. In the game, students work together to solve different tasks and problems in order to progress towards a predefined goal within a set time. Escape room games have been shown to support nursing students’ clinical decision-making, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. In addition, they can enhance students’ learning motivation and satisfaction and support retention of what has been learned.

Aims

The project will develop an online virtual escape room game designed to strengthen competencies in evidence-based practice and support their innovative application in education and clinical practice. In addition, the project will develop and validate a knowledge test to assess players’ competence in evidence-based practice.

Methods

In the first phase, the content and tasks of the escape room game will be co-designed with the target groups. A prototype of the game will then be developed, tested in workshops, and further refined based on user feedback before the full production phase. In the second phase, the completed online game will be piloted. The pilot will assess the usability of the game and the development of players’ competencies in evidence-based practice. Based on the pilot results, the game will be further refined and a final open-access version will be produced.