Design and Validation of Simulation-based Training for Emergency First Responders

Simulation-based training is a promising instructional approach for training military and civilian first responders. In addition to training in relevant taskwork skills, there is a need for first responder training in cognitively-based skills such assituation assessment and decision making. We are addressing this need by the development of FIRST, a validated training program for first responders that uses simulation technology effectively to fill the identified need for targeted training inhigher-level skills such as decision making and situation assessment. This comprehensive training program will be modular, portable, affordable, can be tailored to simulator availabilities, will target much needed decision-making skills, and can beadministered without an expert trainer or simulation expert. The program will provide detailed scenarios, instructions for administering the program, and measures for performance feedback. In developing the measures we will draw upon the systematicmeasure-development process pioneered by Aptima for assessing military aviation teams. Each scenario will exercise a combination of skills and the set of scenarios will span all of the higher-level skills that have been identified as benefiting fromtargeted training. The Phase II work will culminate in an evaluation of the program in a military setting. The Phase II product, the First Responder Simulation Training (FIRST) program will train cognitively-based skills for medics in a simulationenvironment. The FIRST program can be targeted to both government and commercial sectors in both a horizontal and a vertical market expansion. This program will allow regional EMS centers to train their groups in higher level integration skills usingaccessible simulators. The program could also be offered as part of a comprehensive simulator package that would enable running of the program without the need for an expert trainer. The validation process we will develop can be used to inform the designof appropriate simulation-based training programs that leverage the strengths of each modality of simulator or training method.The program will demonstrate the importance of well-designed scenarios for increasing the value of simulators in first responder training, and will foster the improved design, growth, acceptance, and adoption of the most effective medical simulatortechnologies. The far-reaching results will be a reduction of errors and an improvement in patient safety.