Exploring the perspectives of dermatology undergraduates with an escape room game

Background A UK dermatology curricula review has suggested that undergraduate delivery relies on lectures and is subject to clinical and staffing pressures. Many UK undergraduate students feel less than adequately prepared to manage dermatological conditions, and misconceptions about dermatology are common. Educators have called for innovative solutions, including small group teaching. Escape rooms are games requiring teams to solve puzzles to escape from a room. Aim To assess the impact of an escape room game on perceptions of dermatology among undergraduate medical students. Methods Students were invited to an escape room to consolidate lessons taught in a previous lecture. Students were first asked to complete a questionnaire about their preferred learning environments, perceptions of dermatology and confidence in content. Following the escape room event, these questions were revisited. Focus groups were then held to explore themes raised. Results In total, 16 students took part in the escape room sessions and in 3 focus groups. Feedback was strongly positive, with 100% of students expressing 'strongly agree' on whether they enjoyed the session. Qualitative data were coded for themes of accessibility, variety of taught content and awareness. The majority (94%) of students stated the escape room made them want to experience more dermatology. Conclusion Prejudices about dermatology exist among medical students, and may act as a barrier to perceived accessibility to the specialty. Escape rooms can provide a shift to a more learner-centred approach, which may aid in combating these negative perceptions. They may act as an enjoyable means of consolidating lecture-based and clinical teaching, and require minimal resources.