Simulating a self-inflicted facial gunshot wound with moulage to improve perceived realism, immersion, and learning...

Moulage is used to create mock wounds and injuries for clinical education and training. We developed a moulage technique to simulate a facial gunshot wound for use in simulation-based training. We removed sections of a manikin's face and used moulage materials to mock various aspects of the wound. The manikin was used in a simulated scenario that teaches clinicians how to manage a complicated airway. The moulage was evaluated with a self-report questionnaire that assessed participants' perceptions of the realism of the wound, the degree to which the wound contributed to their scenario immersion, and the degree to which the wound enhanced their learning experience on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 'strongly disagree' to 'strongly agree'. Participants' average response to each item was significantly higher than the neutral midpoint, and the median response was 'strongly agree'. Our work suggests that the simulated facial gunshot wound contributed to perceived scenario immersion and enhancement of the learning experience, supporting existing literature that suggests moulage is a valuable tool in healthcare simulation. Future work could investigate the effect of moulage using objective measures and explore the potential to use extended reality technology in conjunction with moulage to improve immersion even further.