Simulator-Based Air Medical Training Program Christoph Life: From Concept to Course

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Aviation Medicine
• Emergency Medical Services

Background:

• Christoph Life is an innovative simulator-based training program for air medical teams.
• The program focuses on crew resource management (CRM) and team training in realistic scenarios.
• Data on user expectations and training effectiveness were previously limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of the Christoph Life simulator-based training program.
• To assess the impact on participants' crew resource management (CRM) knowledge and nontechnical skills.
• To gauge user satisfaction and perceived benefits for daily practice.

Main Methods:

• A 2-day training program incorporating CRM basics and emergency medical scenarios.
• Anonymous questionnaires using polar questions and a 6-coded psychometric Likert scale for evaluation.
• Statistical analysis performed using the Wilcoxon test with a significance level of P < .05.

Main Results:

• Thirteen teams of emergency physicians and paramedics participated in the Christoph Life training.
• Participants reported high satisfaction, finding the training very helpful for daily work (5.7 ± 0.5) and mistake avoidance (5.7 ± 0.5).
• Significant improvements were observed in CRM knowledge (3.5 ± 1.2 to 5.4 ± 0.7, P < .001), communication self-assessment (4.2 ± 0.7 to 4.8 ± 0.8, P = .02), and communication reflection (3.9 ± 0.9 to 5.5 ± 0.5, P < .001).

Conclusions:

• A strong demand exists for enhanced training among air medical personnel.
• Simulator-based air medical training is an effective tool for improving nontechnical skills.
• The Christoph Life program provides clear subjective benefits for participants' professional development.