A Systematic Review of Escape Room Gaming in Pharmacy Education

Objectives: The objectives of this review were to review the current literature on escape rooms in pharmacy education, determine their impact on educational outcomes, and identify areas for future research. Findings: A literature search retrieved 14 reports, of which 10 studies met all of the study criteria. The majority of the studies used the escape room to review previously taught content (90%). More than half the studies (60%) assessed a change in a student's knowledge. One study testing a broad content area found a decrease in the before and after knowledge assessment from 70% to 67%, while other studies found before and after content knowledge increase. On average, 5.8 faculty facilitators and 33 h were needed for each activity. Summary: This review suggests that pharmacy students enjoy escape rooms and perceive that it helps in their clinical knowledge and teamwork skills. Additionally, there is a potential that it can demonstrate an increase in content knowledge, particularly escape rooms that had a singular content focus. Faculty planning on implementing an escape room activity should give strong consideration to the preparation, delivery/logistics, and content.