Virtual First Responder

Clinical Foundations of Medicine Elective Series

Second Life Safari

Marc R. Stephens

University of Phoenix

CMP521

Cynthia Mefford

18 October, 2008

Lesson Objectives

1. Working in collaborative groups, Medical students will explore the use of Second Life as a training system to simulate disaster triage.

2. Students will investigate a simulated mass casualty incident scenario, gather and analyze available data, and differentiate between the levels of the START system in triaging the disaster victims.

START• Simple Triage And Rapid Transportation

– Method used to effectively and efficiently evaluate all of the victims

during a mass casualty incident (MCI).

• The first-arriving medical personnel will use a triage tool called a triage tag to

categorize the victims by the severity of their injury.

• Once they have a better handle of the MCI, the on-scene personnel will call in to

request for the additional appropriate resources and assign the incoming

emergency service personnel their tasks.

• The victims will be easily identifiable in terms of what the appropriate care is

needed by the triage tags they were administered.

• This method was developed in 1983 by the staff members of Hoag Hospital and

Newport Beach Fire Department located in California.

(Wikipedia, 2008, Triage)

START spectrum

(Momeni, 2007, slide 10)

Triage Systems & Tags

The most common classification uses the internationally accepted four color code system.

• Red indicates high priority treatment or transfer, e.g. Massive Hemorrhage, Tension Pneumothorax.

• Yellow signals medium priority, e.g. Isolated Simple Femur fracture.

• Green is used for ambulatory patients, e.g. Isolated Abrasions, contusions, sprains.

• Black for dead or those with minimal chance of survival, e.g. Massive Head Injuries, 95% coverage with third degree burns.

(Momeni, 2007, slide 14)

Blue Category

• Blue category includes patients who will probably not survive but who should transported and treated after priority one (red) but before priority two (yellow) patients.

• This would relieve prehospital personnel from making some of the decisions regarding expectant cases.

– This category however, is not generally accepted.

(Momeni, 2007, slide 15)

(Momeni, 2007, slide 16)

Play2Train Facility

Play2Train is a virtual training space in Second Life designed to support Strategic

National Stockpile (SNS), Simple Triage and Rapid Transportation (START), Risk Communication and

Incident Command System (ICS) Training.

(IBAPP, 2008, screenshots)

Your team arrives on the scene of a

mass casualty incident…

Triage Simulation Activity

Locate the victims

Assess condition

Assign START level

Triage Simulation Activity

Virtual First Responder Activity• Break into groups of 3-4 students.Break into groups of 3-4 students.

• Each group will work together to identify the 8 victims at the scene and assign Each group will work together to identify the 8 victims at the scene and assign

each victim a color-coded triage level.each victim a color-coded triage level.

– Students will click on the victim mannequin to simulate the initial assessment.Students will click on the victim mannequin to simulate the initial assessment.

• This will deliver a text notecard to the student which will identify the victim number for tracking, and This will deliver a text notecard to the student which will identify the victim number for tracking, and

describes the status of the victim. describes the status of the victim.

• Based on this data the team should make its assessment and assign a color to the victim. Each team Based on this data the team should make its assessment and assign a color to the victim. Each team

should make note of their assessment for each victim privately (do not put colored objects on the should make note of their assessment for each victim privately (do not put colored objects on the

mannequins in SL).mannequins in SL).

• All of the groups come together for a whole-class discussion and analysis All of the groups come together for a whole-class discussion and analysis

of each victim. of each victim.

• Color-coded cards are placed on victims as each case is discussed. Color-coded cards are placed on victims as each case is discussed.

• Examine the scene as a whole. Where should the emergency response Examine the scene as a whole. Where should the emergency response

vehicles rally to receive the victims?vehicles rally to receive the victims?

• Close with discuss of the activity itself. Close with discuss of the activity itself.

References

Idaho Bioterrorism Awareness and Preparedness Program. (2008). Training in virtual

environments. IBAPP Website. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from

http://irhbt.typepad.com/play2train/.

Momeni, A. (2007). Disaster Triage. Emergency Health Manager Training Program. Retrieved

October 10, 2008, from http://talented.mui.ac.ir/imsrg/ehmtp/Shared%20Documents/Triage.ppt

.

Wikipedia. (2008). Triage. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved October 18, 2008, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triage.