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Virtual Escape Room

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Objectives: Houston, we have a problem! There is trouble aboard the International Space Station! The entire crew is in danger due to a mechanical issue that controls the air quality within the station. Time is constrained, you and your team have been assigned to try and find a solution to save everyone’s lives. Put your analytical thinking and teamwork skills to the test while trying to solve your way through the space station and fix the problem. Your team will be required to “think outside the box” to come up with the needed solutions within each task.

Description: A game in which a team of players use analytical thinking to cooperatively discover clues, solve puzzles, and accomplish tasks, virtually via OneNote, to progress through multiple rooms (tabs) in order to accomplish a specific goal in a limited amount of time.

This innovation is replicating across multiple facilities as its impact continues to be validated. See more replicating innovations.

Adoptions:

5 successful

Partners:

Systems Redesign and Improvement

Contact Team

Overview

Problem

Teamwork is critical for all types of organizations. Also, the heavy conversion to virtual platforms has been a difficult adaptation for some.

Solution

Escape rooms provide a unique and fun way of problem-solving, lateral thinking ("thinking outside the box"), and teamwork skills of its participants by providing a variety of puzzles and challenges that unlock access to new areas in the game when solved. This virtual escape room also provides good practice for utilizing Microsoft Teams, including break out m ... See more

Results

Approximately 108 people have participated in the escape room game. An abundance of positive feedback has been given. Most all participants seem to enjoy the game.

Metrics

  • Approximately 108 people have participated in the escape room game.

Diffusion tracker

Does not include Clinical Resource Hubs (CRH)

Statuses

CA: Palo Alto VA Medical Center (Palo Alto, California)
  • Started adoption on 11/2020, ended on 12/2020.
CA: San Francisco VA Medical Center (San Francisco) FL: Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Miami)
  • Started adoption on 09/2020, ended on 10/2020.
FL: James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital (Tampa, Florida)
  • Started adoption on 09/2020, ended on 10/2020.
SC: Wm. Jennings Bryan Dorn Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Columbia, South Carolina)
  • Started adoption on 11/2020, ended on 12/2020.

There are no in-progress adoptions for this innovation.

There are no unsuccessful adoptions for this innovation.

Implementation

Departments

  • Administration
  • Education and training
  • Quality control

Core Resources

Resource type Resource description
TOOLS
  • Microsoft One Note
  • Microsoft Teams

Contact

Comment

Comments and replies are disabled for retired innovations and non-VA users.

VA User (ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER) deleted

This comment has been deleted.

VA User (Program Analyst) Innovation adopter posted

Hi! I wanted to let you know that the Seattle VA and VACO/Office of Research and Development have successfully adopted this virtual escape room!

Email

Email with questions about this innovation.

About

Origin story

Since 2018, our facility has conducted an escape room game as a team building activity during Quality Week and at our VISN Innovation and Improvement Forum. In 2018 and 2019, the escape room was held physically in rooms and was a more hands on format. COVID-19 obviously created issues and challenged us to create a virtual escape room. With research, brainsto ... Since 2018, our facility has conducted an escape room game as a team building activity during Quality Week and at our VISN Innovation and Improvement Forum. In 2018 and 2019, the escape room was held physically in rooms and was a more hands on format. COVID-19 obviously created issues and challenged us to create a virtual escape room. With research, brainstorming, and trial and error we were ultimately successful.

Original team

Timothy Kanouse

Systems Redesign Program Specialist