scholarly journals Disaster Day: A Simulation-Based Disaster Medicine Curriculum for Novice Learners

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 238212052110207
Author(s):  
Brad D Gable ◽  
Asit Misra ◽  
Devin M Doos ◽  
Patrick G Hughes ◽  
Lisa M Clayton ◽  
...  

Background: Mass casualty and multi-victim incidents have increased in recent years due to a number of factors including natural disasters and terrorism. The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) recommends that medical students be trained in disaster preparedness and response. However, a majority of United States medical students are not provided such education. Objective: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a 1 day, immersive, simulation-based Disaster Day curriculum. Settings and Design: Learners were first and second year medical students from a single institution. Materials and Methods: Our education provided learners with information on disaster management, allowed for application of this knowledge with hands-on skill stations, and culminated in near full-scale simulation where learners could evaluate the knowledge and skills they had acquired. Statistical analysis used: To study the effectiveness of our Disaster Day curriculum, we conducted a single-group pretest-posttest and paired analysis of self-reported confidence data. Results: A total of 40 first and second year medical students participated in Disaster Day as learners. Learners strongly agreed that this course provided new information or provided clarity on previous training, and they intended to use what they learned, 97.6% and 88.4%, respectively. Conclusions: Medical students’ self-reported confidence of key disaster management concepts including victim triage, tourniquet application, and incident command improved after a simulation-based disaster curriculum. This Disaster Day curriculum provides students the ability to apply concepts learned in the classroom and better understand the real-life difficulties experienced in a resource limited environment.

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (02) ◽  
pp. 197-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madison B. Kommor ◽  
Bethany Hodge ◽  
Gregory Ciottone

Introduction:The recent increase in natural disasters and mass shootings highlights the need for medical providers to be prepared to provide care in extreme environments. However, while physicians of all specialties may respond in emergencies, disaster medicine training is minimal or absent from most medical school curricula in the United States. A voluntary Disaster Medicine Certificate Series (DMCS) was piloted to fill this gap in undergraduate medical education.Report:Beginning in August of 2017, second- and third-year medical students voluntarily enrolled in DMCS. Students earned points toward the certificate through participation in activities and membership in community organizations in a flexible format that caters to variable schedules and interests. Topics covered included active shooter training, decontamination procedures, mass-casualty triage, Incident Command System (ICS) training, and more. At the conclusion of the pilot year, demographic information was collected and a survey was conducted to evaluate student opinions regarding the program.Results:Sixty-eight second- and third-year medical students participated in the pilot year, with five multi-hour skills trainings and five didactic lectures made available to students. Forty-eight of those 68 enrolled in DMCS completed the retrospective survey. Student responses indicated that community partners serve as effective means for providing lectures (overall mean rating 4.50/5.0) and skills sessions (rating 4.58/5.0), and that the program created avenues for real-world disaster response in their local communities (rating 4.40/5.0).Conclusions:The DMCS voluntary certificate series model served as an innovative method for providing disaster medicine education to medical students.Kommor MB, Hodge B, Ciottone G. Development and implementation of a Disaster Medicine Certificate Series (DMCS) for medical students.Prehosp Disaster Med. 2019;34(2):197–202


Author(s):  
Giuliana Scarpati ◽  
Paolo Remondelli ◽  
Ornella Piazza

"Background and aim: This study aimed to compare a serious game and lectures for the pretraining of medical students before learning about simulation-based management of cardiac arrest. Methods: Participants were 150 volunteer second-year medical students between April and June 2018 randomly assigned to CPR training using either lectures (n = 75) or a serious game (n = 75). Each participant was evaluated on a scenario of cardiac arrest before and after exposure to the learning methods. The primary outcome measures were the median total training time needed for the student to reach the minimum passing score. This same outcome was also assessed three months later. Results: The median training time necessary for students to reach the minimum passing score was similar between the two groups (p=0,45). Achieving an appropriate degree of chest compression was the most difficult requirement to fulfill for students in both groups. Singing the refrain of the song ""staying alive"" significantly increased the number of compressions with the correct rate. Three months later, the median training time decreased significantly in both groups. However, students have remained interested in the serious game for a longer time showing a preference for using this method. Conclusions: The serious game was not superior to lectures to pretraining medical students in the management of a cardiac arrest."


2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 3328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Goniewicz ◽  
Mariusz Goniewicz ◽  
Frederick M. Burkle ◽  
Amir Khorram-Manesh

With an increasing number of natural and man-made disasters, the need for preparedness in all levels of management is obvious. Among healthcare professionals responding to these emergencies, physicians are of particular importance due to their significant roles as leaders and frontline workers in minimizing morbidity and mortality of the affected population. This study analyses the preparedness of 549 physicians from all medical centers in Lublin, Poland to formulate their observations, suggestions, and recommendations concerning the improvement of the chain of response in disaster management. The results of this study show that the perceived preparedness of physicians for disaster management and response is not as high as it should be, and the majority of the respondents perceived their disaster preparedness insufficient. Training of physicians in disaster management and principles of disaster medicine is needed, by focusing on the specificity of rescue response to emergencies following disasters, and medical and non-medical aspects of the response with particular emphasis on a management approach covering all hazards.


2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 210-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather E. Kaiser ◽  
Daniel J. Barnett ◽  
Edbert B. Hsu ◽  
Thomas D. Kirsch ◽  
James J. James ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTBackground: Although the training of future physicians in disaster preparedness and public health issues has been recognized as an important component of graduate medical education, medical students receive relatively limited exposure to these topics. Recommendations have been made to incorporate disaster medicine and public health preparedness into medical school curricula. To date, the perspectives of future physicians on disaster medicine and public health preparedness issues have not been described.Methods: A Web-based survey was disseminated to US medical students. Frequencies, proportions, and odds ratios were calculated to assess perceptions and self-described likelihood to respond to disaster and public health scenarios.Results: Of the 523 medical students who completed the survey, 17.2% believed that they were receiving adequate education and training for natural disasters, 26.2% for pandemic influenza, and 13.4% for radiological events, respectively; 51.6% felt they were sufficiently skilled to respond to a natural disaster, 53.2% for pandemic influenza, and 30.8% for radiological events. Although 96.0% reported willingness to respond to a natural disaster, 93.7% for pandemic influenza, and 83.8% for a radiological event, the majority of respondents did not know to whom they would report in such an event.Conclusions: Despite future physicians' willingness to respond, education and training in disaster medicine and public health preparedness offered in US medical schools is inadequate. Equipping medical students with knowledge, skills, direction, and linkages with volunteer organizations may help build a capable and sustainable auxiliary workforce. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2009;3:210–216)


CJEM ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 12 (01) ◽  
pp. 27-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Michael Franc-Law ◽  
Pier Luigi Ingrassia ◽  
Luca Ragazzoni ◽  
Francesco Della Corte

ABSTRACT Objective: Training in practical aspects of disaster medicine is often impossible, and simulation may offer an educational opportunity superior to traditional didactic methods. We sought to determine whether exposure to an electronic simulation tool would improve the ability of medical students to manage a simulated disaster. Methods: We stratified 22 students by year of education and randomly assigned 50% from each category to form the intervention group, with the remaining 50% forming the control group. Both groups received the same didactic training sessions. The intervention group received additional disaster medicine training on a patient simulator (disastermed.ca), and the control group spent equal time on the simulator in a nondisaster setting. We compared markers of patient flow during a simulated disaster, including mean differences in time and number of patients to reach triage, bed assignment, patient assessment and disposition. In addition, we compared triage accuracy and scores on a structured command-and-control instrument. We collected data on the students' evaluations of the course for secondary purposes. Results: Participants in the intervention group triaged their patients more quickly than participants in the control group (mean difference 43 s, 99.5% confidence interval [CI] 12 to 75 s). The score of performance indicators on a standardized scale was also significantly higher in the intervention group (18/18) when compared with the control group (8/18) (p < 0.001). All students indicated that they preferred the simulation-based curriculum to a lecture-based curriculum. When asked to rate the exercise overall, both groups gave a median score of 8 on a 10-point modified Likert scale. Conclusion: Participation in an electronic disaster simulation using the disastermed.ca software package appears to increase the speed at which medical students triage simulated patients and increase their score on a structured command-and-control performance indicator instrument. Participants indicated that the simulation-based curriculum in disaster medicine is preferable to a lecture-based curriculum. Overall student satisfaction with the simulation-based curriculum was high.


2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Michael Franc ◽  
Darren Nichols ◽  
Sandy L. Dong

AbstractIntroduction: Disaster Medicine is an increasingly important part of medicine. Emergency Medicine residency programs have very high curriculum commitments, and adding Disaster Medicine training to this busy schedule can be difficult. Development of a short Disaster Medicine curriculum that is effective and enjoyable for the participants may be a valuable addition to Emergency Medicine residency training.Methods: A simulation-based curriculum was developed. The curriculum included four group exercises in which the participants developed a disaster plan for a simulated hospital. This was followed by a disaster simulation using the Disastermed.Ca Emergency Disaster Simulator computer software Version 3.5.2 (Disastermed.Ca, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) and the disaster plan developed by the participants. Progress was assessed by a pre- and post-test, resident evaluations, faculty evaluation of Command and Control, and markers obtained from the Disastermed.Ca software.Results: Twenty-five residents agreed to partake in the training curriculum. Seventeen completed the simulation. There was no statistically significant difference in pre- and post-test scores. Residents indicated that they felt the curriculum had been useful, and judged it to be preferable to a didactic curriculum. In addition, the residents’ confidence in their ability to manage a disaster increased on both a personal and and a departmental level.Conclusions: A simulation-based model of Disaster Medicine training, requiring approximately eight hours of classroom time, was judged by Emergency Medicine residents to be a valuable component of their medical training, and increased their confidence in personal and departmental disaster management capabilities.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuyo Yamauchi ◽  
Yoko Hagiwara ◽  
Nahoko Iwakura ◽  
Saori Kubo ◽  
Azusa Sato ◽  
...  

Abstract The traditional curriculum for medical students in Japan does not include sufficient opportunity for the students to develop their skills for musculoskeletal examination and clinical reasoning and diagnosis. So, many residents report a lack of confidence in performing these tasks. Our aim was to assess the effectiveness of peer role-playing to improving these skills among 90 women medical students who were completing their first orthopaedic clinical clerkship. Participants were allocated into two groups. One group participated in role-play (the simulation group) and the other did not participate in role-play because of the clerkship schedule or almanac circumstance (the no-simulation group). This program consisted of two modules: the simulation-based module and the outpatient encounter module. Each module included two sessions. The simulation-based module had two parts: a structured encounter with role-play for musculoskeletal cases, and a structured debriefing with the course supervisor including self-reflection. The students’ performance was observed and assessed using the mini clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) for musculoskeletal cases in the simulation-based module (Day1) and the outpatient encounter module (Day2). The simulation-based module increased the physical examination score on the mini-CEX because of the encounters with real-life patients with musculoskeletal symptoms. This result suggests that role-play as a peer enhancing simulation may help to improve the competency of medical students in performing a musculoskeletal physical examination in a clinical setting.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-265
Author(s):  
Jeffrey T. Tochkin, MA, CEM ◽  
Hung Tan, MSc ◽  
Caroline Nolan ◽  
Harrison Carmichael, MD ◽  
Andrew Willmore, MD ◽  
...  

Providing care in a twenty-first century urban emergency department (ED) and trauma center is a complex high-pressure practice environment. The pressure is intensified during patient surge scenarios commonly seen during mass casualty incidents, such that response must be practiced regularly. Beyond clinical mastery of individual patient trauma care, a coordinated system-level response is essential to optimize patient care during these relatively infrequent events. This paper highlights the need to perform exercises in hospitals while providing practical advice on how to utilize in situ simulation for mass casualty testing. Eleven lessons are presented to assist other emergency management professionals, hospital administrators, or clinical staff to achieve success with in situ simulation. Based upon our experience designing and executing an in situ mass casualty simulation within an ED, we offer lessons applicable to any type of disaster exercise. Simulation offers a powerful tool for the conduct of disaster preparedness exercises for staff across multiple hospital departments and professions.


2020 ◽  
pp. postgradmedj-2020-137906 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Ashcroft ◽  
Matthew H V Byrne ◽  
Peter A Brennan ◽  
Richard Justin Davies

ObjectiveTo identify pandemic and disaster medicine-themed training programmes aimed at medical students and to assess whether these interventions had an effect on objective measures of disaster preparedness and clinical outcomes. To suggest a training approach that can be used to train medical students for the current COVID-19 pandemic.Results23 studies met inclusion criteria assessing knowledge (n=18, 78.3%), attitude (n=14, 60.9%) or skill (n=10, 43.5%) following medical student disaster training. No studies assessed clinical improvement. The length of studies ranged from 1 day to 28 days, and the median length of training was 2 days (IQR=1–14). Overall, medical student disaster training programmes improved student disaster and pandemic preparedness and resulted in improved attitude, knowledge and skills. 18 studies used pretest and post-test measures which demonstrated an improvement in all outcomes from all studies.ConclusionsImplementing disaster training programmes for medical students improves preparedness, knowledge and skills that are important for medical students during times of pandemic. If medical students are recruited to assist in the COVID-19 pandemic, there needs to be a specific training programme for them. This review demonstrates that medical students undergoing appropriate training could play an essential role in pandemic management and suggests a course and assessment structure for medical student COVID-19 training.RegistrationThe search strategy was not registered on PROSPERO—the international prospective register of systematic reviews—to prevent unnecessary delay.


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