Heldring Sara, Jirwe Maria, Wihlborg Jonas, Lindström Veronica
Department of Health Promoting Science, Sophiahemmet University, Lindstedtsvägen 8, SE-114 86, Box 5605, Stockholm, Sweden.
AISAB, Ambulance Service in Region of Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
BMC Med Educ. 2025 May 19;25(1):728. doi: 10.1186/s12909-025-07319-z.
Because health professionals can end up being first responders to a mass casualty incident, they must train to improve preparedness and increase the preconditions of victim outcomes. Training and learning on how to handle a mass casualty incident is traditionally based on reading, lectures, training through computer-based scenarios, or sometimes through live simulations. Professionals should practice in realistic environments to narrow the theory-practice gap, and the possibility of repeating the training is important for learning. Virtual reality is a promising tool for realistic and repeatable simulation training, but it needs further evaluation. This study aimed to describe the acceptability and applicability of using VR for training in mass casualty incidents.
A mixed-methods evaluation design was used, where the qualitative and quantitative findings were embedded into the discussion with a realist inquiry approach. A virtual reality simulation with mass casualty incident scenarios, named GoSaveThem ( www.crash.nu ), was used, and the participants were directed to perform triage. After the simulation, the participants filled in a questionnaire with open-ended questions and ratings on technical aspects, learning experiences, and improvement of preparedness. Eleven of the participants underwent interviews. The qualitative data was analyzed either summarily or with a conventional content analysis. Data were extracted from computer recordings of how long it took for each participant to triage the first 10 victims and to what extent the triage for the first 10 victims was correct. Descriptive statistical analyses were done, and a comparison was made to see if there were any differences between age, sex, educational background, and previous experiences that affected the outcome of triaging.
Training with virtual reality enables repeatable and realistic simulation training of mass casualty incidents. The participants expressed motivation to repeat the training and experience expanded virtual reality scenarios. This study shows that the acceptability and applicability of using VR for training MCIs were high overall in all examined dimensions for most users, with some exceptions.
由于卫生专业人员最终可能成为大规模伤亡事件的第一响应者，他们必须进行培训以提高准备程度并增加受害者获得良好结局的前提条件。传统上，关于如何应对大规模伤亡事件的培训和学习基于阅读、讲座、通过计算机模拟场景进行训练，有时也通过现场模拟。专业人员应在现实环境中进行练习以缩小理论与实践的差距，并且重复训练的可能性对于学习很重要。虚拟现实是用于现实且可重复模拟训练的一种有前景的工具，但需要进一步评估。本研究旨在描述使用虚拟现实进行大规模伤亡事件培训的可接受性和适用性。
采用混合方法评估设计，将定性和定量结果通过现实主义探究方法纳入讨论。使用了一个带有大规模伤亡事件场景的虚拟现实模拟，名为GoSaveThem（www.crash.nu），并指导参与者进行伤情分类。模拟结束后，参与者填写一份包含开放式问题以及关于技术方面、学习体验和准备程度提升的评分的问卷。11名参与者接受了访谈。定性数据采用总结分析或传统内容分析法进行分析。从计算机记录中提取了每位参与者对前10名受害者进行伤情分类所需的时间以及对前10名受害者的伤情分类正确程度的数据。进行了描述性统计分析，并进行了比较，以查看年龄、性别、教育背景和先前经验是否存在影响伤情分类结果的差异。
虚拟现实训练能够对大规模伤亡事件进行可重复且逼真的模拟训练。参与者表示有重复训练的动机，并希望体验扩展的虚拟现实场景。本研究表明，对于大多数用户而言，在所有考察维度上，使用虚拟现实进行大规模伤亡事件培训的可接受性和适用性总体较高，但存在一些例外情况。
