Development and application of diabetes escape room simulation for nursing students: A pilot study

Purpose: Given managing blood sugar levels is crucial for preventing complications in diabetes, development of an effective diabetic program is essential. Incorporating games into nursing education has been considered as a strategy to enhance motivation and active participation. This pilot study aimed to develop and implement a diabetes simulation program using escape rooms. Methods: This program was designed the program title, educational objectives, and educational operation methods. Participants included 30 third- and fourth-year nursing students. They completed missions involving solving puzzles, f inding passwords, and locating answer cards across three rooms themed around understanding, treating, and managing the lifestyle habits associated with diabetes. After completing the escape rooms, data were collected through telephone interviews with eight participants. The experiences and perceptions of the program were analyzed using the phenomenological approach. Results: We found three key themes: collaborating with team members, new learning methods for major subjects, and expectations for broader applications of escape rooms in nursing education. Conclusion: The escape room approach is an effective nursing education method that enhances learners’ motivation and satisfaction. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate these findings and evaluate their broader applicability.