Game-based mass casualty burn training

Area of Science:

• Emergency Medicine
• Medical Simulation
• Disaster Preparedness

Background:

• Mass casualty incidents (MCIs) present complex challenges for healthcare providers.
• Effective triage and resuscitation are critical for improving patient outcomes during large-scale emergencies.
• Traditional training methods may not fully replicate the high-pressure environment of MCI response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate "Burn Center," an interactive video game-based training module.
• To simulate a mass casualty disaster scenario involving 40 burn victims.
• To provide practical training in the critical skills of burn patient triage and resuscitation.

Main Methods:

• Development of a two-component interactive video game: "triage" and "resuscitation."
• The "triage" component simulates stabilizing, sorting, tagging, and transporting burn victims.
• The "resuscitation" component involves managing multiple burn patients over a 36-hour period using simulated hospital devices.

Main Results:

• The "Burn Center" module effectively simulates key aspects of mass casualty burn incident response.
• Players engage in realistic decision-making for both field triage and hospital-based resuscitation.
• The training aims to equip users with applicable skills and knowledge for managing burn patients in emergencies.

Conclusions:

• Interactive video game-based training modules, like "Burn Center," offer a viable method for enhancing disaster preparedness.
• The simulation provides a safe yet realistic environment to practice critical burn care skills.
• This approach can improve the readiness of healthcare providers for mass casualty events involving burn injuries.