Escaping the ordinary: a review of escape rooms in medical and veterinary education

Escape rooms (ERs), immersive role-playing games that require participants to solve a series of puzzles within a set time to achieve a specific goal, have gained popularity as innovative educational tools. A systematic review was conducted using the PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive search of PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, and Scopus, for articles published between inception of journals to April 2024, focusing on the integration, outcomes, and participants' perceptions of ERs in medical and veterinary education. A total of 619 articles were retrieved, of which 12 articles met the inclusion criteria for final analysis. These studies focused on medical students and included medical education topics such as nephrology, human physiology, and dermatology. Notably, no ERs focused on the veterinary sector or directly addressed the One Health approach. ERs demonstrated a significant impact on students' self-reported knowledge, motivation, and collaboration skills gains. Participants reported improved confidence in clinical situations and a greater appreciation for interdisciplinary team dynamics. Most studies yield moderate MERSQI scores and impacts at Kirkpatrick Levels 1 and 2. ERs increased immediate educational engagement and showed potential in improving an understanding of complex, interrelated health issues. This gap suggests a need for curricula that incorporates ERs to bridge human, animal, and environmental health sectors. The integration of ERs could be instrumental in equipping future prescribers with the interdisciplinary knowledge and skills needed to tackle complex health crises. Not applicable.