The in-person escape room will be conducted in the nursing laboratory of a Higher Education Institution (HEI), equipped with a high-fidelity mannequin to simulate a critical patient and create a realistic environment. Participants will be divided into groups, with one group entering at a time as requested. During the in-person escape room, participants will interact with the patient mannequin, hospital equipment and devices, as well as with objects and clues in the environment. The game duration will be 30 minutes to ensure equal conditions among participants and prevent time distortions. Interactions and participants' performance will be recorded by the facilitator, guiding the feedback.

The Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) will be necessary to assess the impact of the intervention on the stress experienced by students during the process. The scale consists of 21 items, with seven items in each of the three scales (depression, anxiety, and stress). The minimum and maximum scores for each subscale are determined by the sum of the values assigned to the corresponding items. Generally, for each of the three subscales, the minimum possible score is 0, indicating the absence of symptoms, while the maximum score varies depending on the intensity of the responses provided by participants to specific items. For example, on a scale of 0 to 21 for each subscale, a higher score suggests higher levels of depression, anxiety, or stress.

Another instrument that will be used in the study is the Perceived Gains Scale, which consists of 25 items with 5 response options: Improved immensely; improved considerably; improved slightly; stayed the same; got worse. In this scale, the different variables identify students' perceptions of the gains achieved through their experience with high-fidelity patient mannequins at the cognitive level.

The "Student Satisfaction and Self-Confidence in Learning" Scale was developed to measure individuals' satisfaction and self-confidence acquired through high-fidelity simulations. This instrument has been validated in Brazil and will be used in the present study following the intervention. The scale consists of 26 items, organized into five factors: the usefulness and effectiveness of teaching methods, the provision of didactic materials and activities, the quality of teaching provided by the facilitator, self-confidence in learning, and student responsibility for their own learning. Participants indicate their level of agreement with each item on a five-point scale, ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree." The closer to 5, the higher the level of satisfaction with learning and self-confidence.