Prototyping an escape room to enhance interprofessional collaboration in healthcare: Pilot study

• Lockdown Treatment is an innovative virtual escape room where healthcare professionals work together to solve real-world challenges, strengthening essential skills for clinical practice. • The research employed the User-Centered Design methodology, involving healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, from the requirement definition phase to iterative prototyping and game testing. • Developed using the User-Centered Design methodology, this game integrates gamification elements to enhance communication, leadership, and teamwork—fundamental competencies for a more efficient and safer healthcare environment. During their training, nurses must develop interprofessional collaboration skills, which are essential in clinical settings. This study aims to describe the development and testing stages of a virtual escape room, named "Lockdown Treatment", to enhance interprofessional collaboration. The User-Centered Design methodology was used, involving users from requirement gathering to iterative prototyping. Requirements were established through interviews with 6 healthcare professionals, and a prototype was developed and tested for final assessment. The results identified key areas for improvement, particularly in terms of timing and support during the game and demonstrated the effectiveness of the escape room in promoting interdisciplinary collaboration. This study proves that tools like escape rooms can significantly enrich nursing education. It is essential to integrate innovative methods into interprofessional training, making it more engaging and interactive. However, it is crucial that such tools are meticulously planned and validated to ensure their suitability through a rigorous validation process. Future research should evaluate the ‘Lockdown Treatment’ to assess its long-term effectiveness and applicability in clinical practice and patient outcomes.