Role-playing simulation as an educational tool for health care personnel: developing an embedded assessment framework.

Simulation- and video game-based role-playing techniques have been proven effective in changing behavior and enhancing positive decision making in a variety of professional settings, including education, the military, and health care. Although the need for developing assessment frameworks for learning outcomes has been clearly defined, there is a significant gap between the variety of existing multimedia-based instruction and technology-mediated learning systems and the number of reliable assessment algorithms. This study, based on a mixed methodology research design, aims to develop an embedded assessment algorithm, a Knowledge Assessment Module (NOTE), to capture both user interaction with the educational tool and knowledge gained from the training. The study is regarded as the first step in developing an assessment framework for a multimedia educational tool for health care professionals, Anatomy of Care (AOC), that utilizes Virtual Experience Immersive Learning Simulation (VEILS) technology. Ninety health care personnel of various backgrounds took part in online AOC training, choosing from five possible scenarios presenting difficult situations of everyday care. The results suggest that although the simulation-based training tool demonstrated partial effectiveness in improving learners' decision-making capacity, a differential learner-oriented approach might be more effective and capable of synchronizing educational efforts with identifiable relevant individual factors such as sociobehavioral profile and professional background.

Development of an "all-hazards" hospital disaster preparedness training course utilizing multi-modality teaching.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of the study were to develop and evaluate an "all-hazards" hospital disaster preparedness training course that utilizes a combination of classroom lectures, skills sessions, tabletop sessions, and disaster exercises to teach the principles of hospital disaster preparedness to hospital-based employees. METHODS: Participants attended a two-day, 16-hour course, entitled Hospital Disaster Life Support (HDLS). The course was designed to address seven core competencies of disaster training for healthcare workers. Specific disaster situations addressed during HDLS included: (1) biological; (2) conventional; (3) radiological; and (4) chemical mass-casualty incidents. The primary goal of HDLS was not only to teach patient care for a disaster, but more importantly, to teach hospital personnel how to manage the disaster itself. Knowledge gained from the HDLS course was assessed by pre- and post-test evaluations. Additionally, participants completed a course evaluation survey at the conclusion of HDLS to assess their attitudes about the course. RESULTS: Participants included 11 physicians, 40 nurses, 23 administrators/directors, and 10 other personnel (n = 84). The average score on the pre-test was 69.1 +/- 12.8 for all positions, and the post-test score was 89.5 +/- 6.7, an improvement of 20.4 points (p < 0.0001, 17.2-23.5). Participants felt HDLS was educational (4.2/5), relevant (4.3/5) and organized (4.3/5). CONCLUSIONS: Identifying an effective means of teaching hospital disaster preparedness to hospital-based employees is an important task. However, the optimal strategy for implementing such education still is under debate. The HDLS course was designed to utilize multiple teaching modalities to train hospital-based employees on the principles of disaster preparedness. Participants of HDLS showed an increase in knowledge gained and reported high satisfaction from their experiences at HDLS. These results suggest that HDLS is an effective way to train hospital-based employees in the area of disaster preparedness.