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“That was cool!” Participant Response to a Mass Casualty Incident Virtual Reality Simulator

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2024

Ashish R Panchal
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
David P Way
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
Alan Price
Affiliation:
University of the Arts, Center for Immersive Media, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Vita Berezina-Blackburn
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University, Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design, Columbus, OH, USA
Jeremy Patterson
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University, Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design, Columbus, OH, USA
Jillian McGrath
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
Douglas Danforth
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
Nicholas E Kman
Affiliation:
The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA
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Abstract

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Objective

To minimize loss of life, mass casualty response requires swift identification, efficient triage categorization, and rapid hemorrhage control. Current training methods remain suboptimal. Our objective was to train first responders to triage a mass casualty incident using Virtual Reality (VR) simulation and obtain their impressions of the training’s quality and effectiveness.

Methods

We trained subjects in SALT Triage then had them respond to a terrorist bombing of a subway station using a fully immersive VR simulation. We gathered learner reactions to their VR experience and post-encounter debriefing with a custom electronic survey.

Results

Nearly 400 subjects experienced the VR encounter and completed evaluation surveys. Most participants (95%) recommended the experience for other first responders and rated the simulation (95%) and virtual patients (91%) as realistic. Ninety-four percent of participants rated the VR simulator as “excellent” or “good.” We observed no differences between those who owned a personal VR system and those who did not.

Conclusions

Our VR simulator (go.osu.edu/firstresponder) is an automated, customizable, fully immersive virtual reality system for training and assessing personnel in the proper response to a mass casualty incident. Participants perceived the encounter as effective for training, regardless of their prior experience with virtual reality.

Type
Abstract
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc.
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