Engage, educate, escape: The New Jersey Department of Health Project Firstline Escape Room

Abstract

Objective: Participating in an escape room is not just an entertainment but can also be a form of education. Because of this, the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH), Project Firstline (PFL) created an escape room interactive training tool and skills-building exercise to encourage the identification and use of key infection control principles by current and future healthcare workers. Design and Setting: PFL is a US initiative that aims to provide infection prevention and control (IPC) knowledge to frontline healthcare workers. This article details health educators’ descriptions and experiences of an escape room developed as part of this initiative; guidance on how to incorporate this modality of learning into present and future teaching; and assessment data and feedback from participants to begin to understand the impact and effectiveness of this approach to learning. Methods: A total of 8 sessions, conducted in 3 locations, with 64 participants, yielded survey assessment data from 41 participants. Results: Quantitative results indicated that participants were highly satisfied with the escape room experience and reported an increased level of knowledge after participation. In addition, participants reported extremely high levels of intention to implement the training they received, and all would recommend the escape room experience to a friend or a colleague. Qualitative data supports the overall findings and provides specific examples of how participants said they would implement the knowledge they learned, along with additional positive feedback. Conclusion: Current and continuing efforts to promote PFL’s escape room are described, along with improvements and future actions.