Bioterrorism: development of large-scale medical readiness using multipoint distance-based simulation training

Accordingly to HIRSA, 35,000 health professionals need to be trained in recognition and acute field treatment of victims of bioterrorism within year 2004 alone The Department of Defense anticipates even larger numbers. Training of very large number of healthcare workers is particularly daunting in the context of "just-in-time" education. The paper presents utilization of simulation-based distance training as a particularly useful tool in rapid development of readiness in a large population of widely distributed medical and lay personnel facing imminent threat of a chem/bioterrorism incident.