A Step-by-Step Design of a Nursing Educational Escape Room: An Innovative Experience in Team-Based Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training Process

Introduction: Mastering team-based skills in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a critical requirement for nursing students. Traditional teaching methods often fail to promote active participation, hands-on learning, and team cohesion. This study presents a novel experience in the structured design and pilot implementation of an educational escape room to improve CPR team management skills. Method: This study was conducted based on the four-phase Gordillo model, including design, development, implementation, and evaluation. In the design phase, learning objectives were identified through expert interviews. In the development phase, puzzles were created with the participation of a focus group, based on Bloom's taxonomy and the basic life support algorithm. In the implementation phase, the game was piloted with sixth-semester students. In the evaluation phase, participants' satisfaction and feedback were collected and analyzed. Results: In this study, team resuscitation learning objectives were formulated in three domains: cognitive, psychomotor, and affective, and the escape room puzzles were designed accordingly. A linear structure, a hospital crisis theme, and the use of scored clues were key features. The pilot test showed that the game was feasible, motivating, and effective in enhancing cooperation and the practical understanding of concepts. Conclusion: The step-by-step design of an educational escape room focused on team-based CPR management demonstrated that this approach can provide a simulated, interactive, and goal-oriented environment to enhance rapid decision-making, effective communication, and role-playing within a team. Documenting this experience provides a practical basis for developing game-based learning in nursing education and interprofessional teams.