Medical Simulation Training for First Response to Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear Events

SIMmersion's simulation technology was developed to teach law enforcement and military personnel to conduct complex interpersonal exchanges ranging from criminal investigations to recruiting. These simulations use video to create realistic PC simulations of people you talk with for training communications skills of all sorts. The simulated people have memory and an advanced emotional model; they are different each time you talk to them. They build skills, improve retention, and increase confidence. These engaging simulations are obvious candidates for teaching healthcare professionals needed skills including the ability to distinguish routine symptoms that are manifestations of a common problem, from similar symptoms that are indicative of a terrorist attack. The overall objective of this proposal is to develop new training and evaluate the effectiveness of that training for identifying indicators of various CBRNE attacks. The training replaces expensive standardized patient with simulated ones. The goals of Phase I and the Phase I option will be to build and evaluate a prototype system for teaching clinical practitioners to identifying smallpox and get feedback for Phase II. The Phase II training simulations will be directed at the early identification of smallpox and other CBRNE attacks and will be suitable for a wider audience.