The effectiveness of online Visually Enhanced Mental Simulation in developing casualty triage and management skills of paramedic program students: A quasi-experimental research study
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Published on: March 29, 2019
Songül Demir1, Zahide Tunçbilek2, Guillaume Alinier3
1Vocational School of Health Services, First and Emergency Aid Program, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Turkey; Elderly Health and Care Program, Doctoral Student, Aydın Adnan Menderes University, Turkey.
Background:
Paramedics who perform patient triaging in case of a mass casualty incident generally receive triage training during their undergraduate educational program. Triage training can be facilitated using various simulation modalities together with theoretical training.
Objectives:
The aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness of online scenario-based Visually Enhanced Mental Simulation (VEMS) on developing the casualty triage and management skills of paramedic students.
Design:
The study was conducted using a single-group pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental design.
Settings And Participants:
The study was carried out in October 2020 with 20 volunteer students studying in the First and Emergency Aid program of a university in Turkey.
Methods:
After the online theoretical crime scene management and triage course, students completed a demographic questionnaire and a pre-VEMS assessment. They then took part in the online VEMS training and eventually completed the post-VEMS assessment. At the end of the session, they filed an online survey concerning VEMS.
Results:
There is a statistically significant increase in the scores obtained by the students between the pre- and post-educational intervention assessment (p < 0.05). The majority of the students gave positive feedback concerning VEMS as an educational approach.
Conclusion:
The results show that online VEMS is effective in helping paramedic students acquire casualty triage and management skills and that students thought it was an effective educational approach.
