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Comparing Tabletop and High-Fidelity Simulation for Disaster Medicine Training in Emergency Medicine Residents
Amir Lotfy Rashed1, Anjali Cherukuri2, Rie Seu2
1Emergency Medicine Department, https://ror.org/05byvp690University of Texas SouthWestern, Dallas, TX, US.
Objectives:
To compare the effectiveness of tabletop exercises (TTX) and high-fidelity in-person simulations (IPS) in improving knowledge, confidence, and perceived preparedness in disaster medicine among emergency medicine residents.
Methods:
A prospective, randomized educational intervention was conducted across 2 urban emergency medicine residency programs. Sixty-three residents were randomized to TTX or IPS groups. Each group completed a preintervention knowledge and confidence assessment, participated in their assigned exercise based on a simulated mass casualty incident (MCI), and underwent a structured debrief. Postintervention surveys assessed change in knowledge and self-reported comfort levels. A paired 2-tailed Student's t-test was utilized to compare results. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.01.
Results:
Both groups demonstrated increased self-reported confidence and knowledge regarding management of MCIs. TTX participants showed higher median post-test scores (77.4%, N = 38) compared to IPS participants (67.4%, N = 25). Results were not statistically significant (P = 0.079).
Conclusions:
TTX is an effective modality for disaster medicine education, with outcomes comparable to IPS. While TTX may better align with knowledge-based assessments, IPS remains essential for practicing real-time decision-making under stress. Combining these 2 modalities may provide both the knowledge base and psychological duress required for robust disaster scenario training.
