ESCAPE ROOM FOR PARAMEDIC STUDENTS

Study procedure:

• Data were collected from second-year students enrolled in the regular and evening programmes of the Paramedic (First and Emergency Aid) Programme at the Vocational School of Health Services during the spring semester of the 2024-25 academic year. These students were taking the "Emergency Response in Unusual Situations" course. Data collection took place in person at the department's skills laboratory, two weeks before the final examinations.
• Students enrolled in the "Emergency Response in Unusual Situations" course, including those in the regular programme and the evening (second-shift) programme, attend classes in separate sections. For this reason, the randomisation process for the study was stratified by these sections using random.org: students in the evening programme were assigned to the intervention group and those in the regular programme to the control group.
• Before the study began, the students were informed about the research and the "escape room" technique was introduced. Written informed consent was then obtained from them. The primary researcher then delivered a lecture on burns and emergency response to both the intervention and control groups. This four-hour session was conducted on the same day for both groups, albeit at different times (morning for the control group and afternoon for the intervention group), in a classroom setting. Subsequently, students in both groups were given a Personal Information Form, a Knowledge Test and the "Emergency Medical Technician Professional Competence Perception Scale" (EMT-PCPS) as a pre-test.
• Two weeks after the lecture, the control group took a post-test comprising a knowledge test and the EMT-PCPS. The intervention group participated in an 'escape room' simulation activity centred on a burns and emergency response scenario in a laboratory setting.
• Once all the necessary laboratory equipment and puzzles had been set up, the teams were admitted to the laboratory one by one. The laboratory door was locked once a team entered. Once they had completed the escape room activity, the team was given a key to unlock the door. A stopwatch was started when the 'Emergency Intervention' instruction was followed and stopped when the exit door was opened. The students were expected to follow the instructions provided to complete all the puzzles in the escape room, solve the questions to uncover codes and riddles, finish the scenario and prepare to intervene in a trauma situation using the acquired equipment. Finally, they had to exit the room.
• Once all the students in the intervention group had completed the escape room activity, they took the Knowledge Test and the EMT-PCPS as post-tests.

During the implementation phase of the study, knowledge tests and professional competence perception scales were administered as pre- and post-tests. Students in the intervention group were presented with scenarios and puzzles focusing on burns and emergency interventions in the form of an 'escape room' activity.

Behavioral: Escape room activity

During the implementation phase of the study, knowledge tests and professional competence perception scales were administered as pre- and post-tests.

As part of an escape room activity, students in the intervention group were presented with scenarios and puzzles designed around burns and emergency response.

Time frame: To assess knowledge levels among paramedic students, a pre-test was administered in the first week, followed by a post-test two weeks later. Total duration: Three weeks.

The researchers developed a 'Knowledge Test' to assess knowledge levels, which was administered as both a pre-test and a post-test. The test consisted of ten questions and was scored out of 100. The scores obtained at the two time points were then compared. A higher post-test score compared to the pre-test score indicates an increase in knowledge.

Time frame: To assess the perception levels of professional competence among paramedic students, a pre-test was administered in the first week, followed by a post-test two weeks later. Total duration: Three weeks.

Pre- and post-tests were administered to measure the professional competence perception levels of paramedic students. The EMT-PCPS (Professional Competence Perception Scale for Paramedic Students) is an assessment tool that explores the professional competence perceptions of final-year students on the First Aid and Emergency Response Programme. It helps to identify educational needs and develop strategies to enhance student success and facilitate learning throughout the instructional process. The scale consists of four factors (subscales) and 65 items. Scores can be obtained for each individual in terms of both total and subscale scores; higher scores reflect a commendable level of professional competence perception.

Test scores obtained at two different time points were compared. The higher post-test scores indicate an increase in the students' perception of their professional competence.

THE EFFECT OF THE ESCAPE ROOM TECHNIQUE ON KNOWLEDGE AND PERCEIVED PROFESSIONAL COMPETENCE IN BURN CARE TRAINING FOR PARAMEDIC STUDENTS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY