(140) Escape Room Gaming in Pharmacy Education: A Systematic Review

Objective : The objective of this review was to review the current literature for escape rooms in pharmacy education, determine their impact on educational outcomes, and identify areas for future research.

Methods: A comprehensive electronic search was conducted to uncover all peer-reviewed articles related to the topic of escape room gaming in pharmacy education. Articles that met inclusion criteria for the review were original, published in the English language, included only an escape game or format, completed at a college or school of pharmacy within the United States, and/ or included only doctor of pharmacy student learners.

Results: A literature search retrieved 14 reports, from which 10 studies met all the study criteria. Most of the studies used the escape room to review previously taught content (90%). More than half the studies (60%) assessed a change in a student's knowledge. One study testing a broad content area found a decrease from the pre to post knowledge assessment from 70% to 67%, other studies found pre to post content knowledge increase. On average, 5.8 faculty facilitators and 33 hours were needed for each activity.

Conclusions: Escape room activities have been implemented in several colleges and schools of pharmacy. Overall, this method of learning is well received by students, and it is perceived to help their clinical knowledge, as well as teamwork skills. Some of the published studies have shown an increase in content knowledge following this activity. There are many considerations for faculty wishing to implement an escape room activity, and more research is needed to fully determine the impact on learning.