VR Medical Simulation Training for Operational Medical Handoffs

Tactical combat casualty care is provided in a tiered approach, with responsibility for care transferred progressively to personnel at higher levels of training. During these “hand-offs”, parties must 1) rapidly communicate critical patient information, 2) physically move the casualty, 3) maintain situational awareness, and 4) maintain the provision of lifesaving care without lapse. The resulting process is complex and there is significant room for error. We propose adapting the commercially-available SimX VR Medical Simulation System to be used for non-collocated, realistic training of hand-offs across units. SimX’s commercially available solution already supports multiplayer simulation, which would enable units stationed in different cities or countries to train together in virtual reality.