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  Today in Health IT, we're discussing an EHR training initiative for nurses that uses escape rooms. My name is Kate Gamble, and I'm Managing Editor at This Week Health, where we host a set of channels and events dedicated to transforming healthcare, one connection at a time.

I'm joined by Sarah Richardson, President of Community Development. Sarah, welcome to the show and happy Friday. It's always a happy Friday with you, Kate. Thank you. We've got a good one for today. We're diving into an innovative approach to EHR training for new nurses that uses, get this, escape rooms.

So this practice has long been used for entertainment and corporate team building, but integrating them into healthcare training is a novel approach. We're going to break down some highlights from discuss the implications for healthcare IT leaders, and I will just say that I got Stuck in an escape room with a bunch of type A's one time, and I finally was like, I just hope we get out of here at some point, because when everyone's in charge, actually you might get stuck.

Just keep that in mind. Oh, to be a fly on the wall for that. I bet that was Something. It's embarrassing, not to mention a little awkward. So getting into this story and this unique use, our first takeaway is going to be engagement. Let's face it, traditional EHR training is often dry, consisting of lengthy PowerPoints, lectures, and click through tutorials. And the problem is that passive learning leads to low retention. Escape rooms, on the other hand, can transform learning into an interactive experience, helping nurses actively engage with the material.

And the research backs it up. Studies have literally shown that experiential learning, learning by doing, improves knowledge retention significantly. And so for clinicians and IT leaders, this means fewer follow up training sessions, fewer reductions in frustration among the staff, and ultimately a more confident workforce when using the EHR system.

Yeah, those are all pretty important. And another takeaway for anyone looking to introduce this idea to their board or leadership team, if people enjoy the process, they remember it better. Engagement isn't just a buzzword, it's a business necessity. The cost of inefficient EHR use, whether that's from delays, errors, burnout, far outweigh the investment in effective training methods.

So is a team sport and EHR.

EHRs require seamless coordination among nurses, physicians, and administrative staff. Escape rooms naturally promote teamwork, hopefully, reinforcing communication and problem solving skills. If not, you'll know who you don't want to be on the floor with for a patient need, for sure. But this truly is a huge advantage, Especially for CMIOs who are responsible for ensuring clinical workflows and the integration of those smoothly with technology.

But IT leaders need to ask themselves, are our training programs fostering collaboration? Because if you're not, you're probably setting up your workforce for frustration and inefficiency down the Exactly. So if you think about it, new nurses are often overwhelmed with patient care responsibilities, learning hospital protocols, and simultaneously mastering EHR systems.

Training that reinforces teamwork helps them learn not just how to use the EHR, but who to turn to when they need help. And that's a critical piece that often gets overlooked in traditional training. And critical thinking under pressure is going to be that third takeaway, Kate, because the healthcare environment.

Moves quickly. Decisions need to be made fast, but also accurately and escape rooms are simulating these high pressure scenarios that are going to force participants to think on their feet and in the moment. Yeah, that's what I think makes this so valuable and interesting. As a nurse, you need to be able to retrieve an input data quickly, ensuring accuracy while multitasking.

So I T leaders should take note. This is not just about learning the system.

It's about training people to use it efficiently under real world conditions. All right. So if you're pitching this to your executive team, here is a key point I want you to share. And EHR is only as effective as the people using it. That's also going to be true of all of the systems in our organization.

No matter how advanced your system is, if the users are struggling under pressure, you are not going to get the full ROI. No, you're not for sure. The next key point we're getting to is that escape rooms can provide a safe space for making mistakes. Unlike real world patient care scenarios, a simulated training exercise allows new nurses to learn through trial and error without risk of harming a patient.

Pay attention, CISOs, because mistakes in the EHR handling can lead to data security risks, HIPAA violations, and compromised patient safety. When nurses get hands on practice in a low stakes environment, they're less likely to make critical errors later. Exactly.

And here's another angle here, which is something that we covered pretty recently, psychological safety. So studies show that people learn best when they feel safe to ask questions and make mistakes. An escape room format encourages that because it's inherently a game. So failure isn't seen as punitive, it's seen as part of the learning process.

And if you didn't listen to us, Earlier this week when we talked about fear based leadership, give it a listen because that same idea comes up. And if you're not scared of the scenario, then you're going to have better cost effectiveness and scalability. So designing an escape room training model doesn't require expensive technology or major infrastructure changes.

It's adaptable, meaning that hospitals and health systems of any size can tailor it to their own needs. Yeah, that's a big plus. And this is where CTOs should take note. So while some organizations might think they need an elaborate virtual reality setup, the reality is that escape rooms can be built with minimal investment.

Even a simple, designed physical escape room using paper based clues, simulated EHR tasks, and teamwork challenges can be highly effective. It's a very good point. You and I both have an obsession with post it notes. So Kate and I are creating your escape room. We're going to think, how do we make training both effective and sustainable?

Traditional methods aren't necessarily working well enough. So why not explore interactive models that actually get results? And that doesn't mean that the CTO can't have a little VR setup to play with as well, because at some point that also may make the most sense from a cost effectiveness perspective, but Kate.

I'm bringing my post it notes to the escape room that we're creating. I'm Yeah, now you're really making me think for my strategy. When I do try an escape room, I'm going to put together like a dream team. I want one type A. I want a creative person.

Maybe a tech genius. I don't know, but I'm going to throw in a really good mix and we'll see how that goes. It follows in line with the right hiring practices and strategies as well. What's the team that can get out of the escape room? Exactly. And MacGyver. I'd like MacGyver there too just in case something goes wrong.

So I think we can say in conclusion that integrating escape rooms into EHR training really does seem to offer a dynamic and Effective alternative to traditional methods. by enhancing engagement, promoting teamwork, and developing critical thinking skills, this approach prepares new nurses to navigate complex EHR systems confidently.

And for healthcare IT leaders. This is a great opportunity to reimagine how we train our workforce. Smarter training leads to better system adoption, fewer errors, and improved patient care. That seems like a win all the way around, that's it for today's episode. Join us next week as we break down more of the most relevant stories in healthcare IT, sometimes in a fun way, depends on the day. Don't forget to share this podcast with a friend or colleague. Use it as a foundation for daily or weekly 📍 discussions on the topics that are relevant to you and the industry.

They can subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts. Sarah, thank you for joining as always, and thank you all for listening. That's a wrap.