It is vital that healthcare professionals work together in a concentrated effort to help patients achieve tobacco cessation. As such, it is essential that students in health professions programs learn appropriate communication and teamwork skills to be an effective member of patient care teams. This presentation will describe the development and implementation of an interactive, virtual escape room that reinforced important tobacco cessation concepts with pharmacy, dental, dental hygiene and physician’s assistant students. Interprofessional groups consisted of 6-7 students, and students were given 60 minutes to work through twelve escape room puzzles to solve two patient cases related to tobacco cessation. Puzzle concepts included pharmacology, contraindications to medications, dosing, drug-drug interactions, behavioral modifications, health risks associated with tobacco use, motivational interviewing, risks of vaping, vaccines and neurobiology of addiction. One hundred and thirty-five students participated in the interactive activity, and students completed pre and post-surveys to assess knowledge gains and perceptions of the virtual escape room. Students reported an improvement in all four interprofessional competencies, and knowledge improved on all twelve conceptual questions, with six questions showing statistically significant improvements in knowledge. Student perceptions of the escape room were overall positive, with 84% of students reporting that they will use knowledge that they gained from the escape room in their professional practice. In conclusion, the use of this educational game was an effective way to reinforce and emphasize important tobacco cessation concepts and to promote interprofessional teamwork and communication. Allowing students to work together and recognize the contributions of different members of the healthcare team has vital implications to help patients achieve tobacco cessation, which will improve patient health, reduce healthcare costs and prevent multiple diseases.
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development (OICPD). The OICPD is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Physicians: The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education designates this live activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.
Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Nurses: Participants will be awarded contact hours of credit for attendance at this workshop.
Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians: This activity is approved for contact hours.
IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change
