Effect of an airway management escape room on readiness for interprofessional learning and knowledge levels among pre‑hospital emergency medicine and anaesthesia students: a quasi‑experimental study

Airway management stands as a fundamental competency in emergency situations. Yet, conventional pedagogical methods may not sufficiently prepare students for high-stress, time-sensitive circumstances requiring effective interprofessional collaboration. In recent years, innovative active learning approaches, such as the “Educational Escape Room,” have come forth as interactive means for teaching clinical skills. However, there is limited evidence concerning their efficacy in improving interprofessional learning. This study sought to assess the impact of an airway management escape room on knowledge and readiness for interprofessional learning (RIPL) among anesthesia and pre-hospital emergency medicine students. This quasi‑experimental study with a pretest-posttest design was conducted at the Clinical Skills Center affiliated with Birjand University of Medical Sciences in 2026. A total of 53 students were allocated to either the experimental (Escape Room) or control (conventional education) group using stratified block randomization based on academic major and semester. Participants in the experimental group engaged in an escape room intervention that integrated physical challenges, virtual scenarios, advanced clinical simulation, and augmented reality. Data were collected using a demographics form, the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale, and an airway management knowledge assessment test. SPSS version 26 was employed for data analysis. No statistically significant differences were established at the baseline between the study groups regarding demographic characteristics. Post-intervention, the experimental group showed a significant increase in airway management knowledge scores compared to the control group (P < 0.001). Moreover, RIPL scores were significantly higher in the experimental than in the control group (P = 0.001). The highest improvement was observed in the “teamwork and collaboration” domain (P < 0.001). Changes in “professional identity” (P = 0.181) and “roles and responsibilities” (P = 0.369) were insignificant. The educational escape room can be employed as an effective complementary educational modality to enhance airway management knowledge and RIPL among anesthesia and pre-hospital emergency medicine students, especially in terms of teamwork. While this short‑term intervention did not substantially affect professional identity, it demonstrated significant improvements in self‑reported teamwork and collaboration scores on the RIPLS. Longer-term research and multi-center studies are required to further elucidate the efficacy of this approach.