Research and Development to improve Rural Emergency Medical Services Training using Mobile Simulation

Nationwide, Emergency Medical Services (EMS) play a crucial health care role in the well being of rural populations. There are substantial challenges within the rural EMS system, including: high costs for providing EMS care to sparsely populated regions, poor access to training and medical supervision, volunteer shortages, high response times and lower levels of training. EMS personnel recruitment and retention have been shown to be the most significant problems facing rural EMS. In 2008 the Institute of Medicine published the report - Medical Services at the Crossroads - suggesting that poor recruitment and retention of EMS professionals nationwide may have a detrimental effect on the health of communities. Lack of adequate medical services detracts from the attractive quality of life available in rural areas. Widely used in aviation and the military, simulation technology has emerged as an important new training tool in health care. The increased realism of simulation allows health care providers to train as they treat for the first time. In many ways still an immature technology, simulation when deployed in a mobile configuration offers the potential to address part of the serious training crisis of rural EMS in a collaborative and cost-effective manner. This Phase 1 research program will allow the development of a prototype mobile simulation platform by Hudson Simulation Services (HSS) to be fielded and used for training and research in the rural region of Northeastern New York. The prototype simulation package will include as its component parts : high fidelity patient simulators, training curriculum, debriefing equipment and a performance tracking system. The program will introduce advanced simulation training to the region and assist with the development of local emergency medical trainers. This focused simulation training effort can equip EMS providers with timely training that will raise both their competence and confidence levels in emergency response skills. Mobile simulation training has the potential to decrease the overall cost of providing medical services in remote areas by decreasing the high costs associated with turnover and make scarce health care dollars go further. This service allows older people with special health needs to stay in their communities rather than being forced to move to larger urban locations. A mobile simulation infrastructure would also have important economic development benefits by creating jobs for instructors in rural areas as well as keeping travel and lodging expenses in the area rather than going to distant training sites. Knowing that an essential safety net supports them as they work in remote locations and at sometimes dangerous tasks will add to the peace -of- mind of the citizens of Rural America.