Virtual Reality Triage Training Can Provide Comparable Simulation Efficacy for Paramedicine Students Compared to Live Simulation-Based Scenarios

Use of high‐fidelity simulation technology in disasters: an integrative literature review

“…Computerized virtual reality simulation uses a three‐dimensional desktop computer environment and mouse‐and‐keyboard controls 9 . All articles only covered a disaster’s preparedness phase and analyzed computerized virtual reality simulation with the intent of assessing its effectiveness for professional degree‐seeking student ( n = 4, 66.6%) and first responder ( n = 2, 33.3%) training for natural disaster/mass casualty incident triage or chemical/radiological decontamination 15–19 . Computerized virtual reality simulation was shown to be safe and cost‐effective for preparing for mass casualty incidents or epidemics given its minimal resource utilization, training site flexibility, and ease of reconfiguring for training disaster‐specific low‐volume/high‐risk skills that must be performed with accuracy 15,16,18 …”

“…9 All articles only covered a disaster's preparedness phase and analyzed computerized virtual reality simulation with the intent of assessing its effectiveness for professional degree-seeking student (n = 4, 66.6%) and first responder (n = 2, 33.3%) training for natural disaster/ mass casualty incident triage or chemical/radiological decontamination. [15][16][17][18][19] Computerized virtual reality simulation was shown to be safe and cost-effective for preparing for mass casualty incidents or epidemics given its minimal resource utilization, training site flexibility, and ease of reconfiguring for training disaster-specific low-volume/highrisk skills that must be performed with accuracy. 15,16,18 Full-scale simulation combines mock injured high-fidelity manikins in a high-fidelity environment with digital videorecording and wireless communication to create realistic disaster conditions.…”

“…[15][16][17][18][19] Computerized virtual reality simulation was shown to be safe and cost-effective for preparing for mass casualty incidents or epidemics given its minimal resource utilization, training site flexibility, and ease of reconfiguring for training disaster-specific low-volume/highrisk skills that must be performed with accuracy. 15,16,18 Full-scale simulation combines mock injured high-fidelity manikins in a high-fidelity environment with digital videorecording and wireless communication to create realistic disaster conditions. 19 All articles covered only the preparedness phase, and analyzed full-scale simulation with the intent for professional degree-seeking student (n = 3, 75%) and first responder (n = 1, 25%) training on various disaster management/decision-making skills for natural disaster/ mass casualty incident triage or chemical/radiological decontamination.…”

Immersive training of first responder squad leaders in untethered virtual reality

“…In essence, the immersive environment incorporated in VR-based training not only offers the realism that classroom-based instructive teaching lacks, but also may reduce the time and cost burden of real-life drills and tabletop exercises. Mills et al estimated that a mass casualty triage training of paramedic students in a real-world simulation is about 13 times more expensive than in VR, while the simulation efficacy has been found near identical (Mills et al 2019). Recent research has even indicated superior performance in simple search tasks following VR and augmented reality (AR) training of first responders as opposed to traditional classroom and realworld training in an ambulance bus (Koutitas et al 2019(Koutitas et al , 2020.…”

Disaster medicine training: The case for virtual reality

“…Novel ways to reduce these barriers while maintaining the quality and realism of training are continually being explored. Leveraging new or maturing technologies such as Virtual Reality (VR) should be considered, as recent studies have suggested that a well-designed, full immersion VR environment for mass casualty training can provide similar learning outcomes and at a significant cost savings [ 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”