EHR Training with Escape Rooms for New Nurses Shows Results

Indiana University Health implemented escape room-style training to enhance new nurses' confidence in handling electronic health record (EHR) outages. Michael Allen, a senior clinical informatics nurse, presented findings at HIMSS25, revealing that nurses with less than two years of experience improved their ability to manage critical tasks during downtime. Traditional training methods have been less effective, as many new nurses lack exposure to paper documentation. Allen applied Kolb’s experiential learning theory to create interactive challenges, allowing participants to problem-solve and refine their skills. The training covered key tasks such as locating policies, taking phone orders, and documenting medications. Allen recommends biannual training sessions to reinforce learning and suggests keeping post-training evaluations concise for effective assessment.