Disaster Olympics: A Model for Resident Education.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Disaster Medicine
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Effective disaster medicine education is crucial for emergency physicians.
• Traditional training methods may not adequately prepare physicians for mass casualty events.
• A novel educational approach is needed to enhance disaster preparedness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe an innovative educational method for teaching Disaster Medicine to American Emergency Medicine (EM) physicians.
• To evaluate the knowledge attainment of EM residents using this novel teaching method.
• To assess the effectiveness of a disaster drill designed as an "Olympic Games" format.

Main Methods:

• An observational study utilizing pre-test and post-test assessments.
• A full-scale disaster exercise (FSE) was conducted at a large academic center.
• Eighty-two EM residents participated, completing pre- and post-tests; performance was observed.

Main Results:

• Mean post-test scores (62%) were significantly higher than pre-test scores (53%) (P = .002).
• Residents met 48% to 63% of critical objectives.
• Hospitals met 50% to 100% of their disaster preparedness objectives.

Conclusions:

• The "Disaster Olympics" format is an effective model for disaster medicine education.
• This method objectively evaluates participant performance and hospital system protocols.
• The drill improved emergency preparedness knowledge, offering a novel training methodology.