Intravenous drug administration with escape games: A mixed methods study.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of escape games on nursing students' intravenous (IV) drug administration knowledge and skills while exploring their learning experiences.

Background: Drug administration is one of the most critical responsibilities in nursing, requiring knowledge and precision. Traditional teaching methods may not sufficiently address gaps in clinical skills and knowledge retention. This highlights the need for innovative approaches like escape games to enhance student learning, particularly in high-risk tasks like IV drug administration.

Design: A mixed-methods study with an explanatory sequential design was conducted.

Methods: The study was conducted with 80 nursing students at the Faculty of Nursing, University X, from March to June 2024. The students were randomly divided into two groups: the intervention group, which participated in escape games designed to reinforce IV drug administration skills, and the control group, which received traditional education. Quantitative data were collected through the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) as pre-test, post-test, and follow-up tests. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews and then analyzed using content analysis.

Results: Quantitative analyses showed that the intervention group significantly outperformed the control group in post-test and follow-up test scores (p < 0.05). Qualitative findings revealed that students found escape games enjoyable, motivating, and effective in improving knowledge retention and stress management skills.

Conclusion: Escape games proved to be an effective method for enhancing nursing students' IV drug administration knowledge, skills, motivation, collaboration, and stress management, supporting their use in nursing education.