OBJECTIVES: Disaster-preparedness and response are a commonly overlooked aspect of hospital policy and can frequently be outdated and undertested. Simulation-based education has become a core education modality within Canadian medical training programs. We hypothesized that integrating in situ simulation (ISS) into a hospital-wide, mass-casualty response exercise would enhance realism and our ability to identify latent safety threats (LSTs). METHODS: Using ISS we created a simulated mass shooting scenario with 20 patients, played by actors in full moulage, presenting to a large tertiary care hospital over a 50-minute period. RESULTS: Integrating ISS into our exercise created a realistic experience for the participants involved and improved participant education, while imparting enough systemic stress to expose LSTs associated within patient care and hospital policy. CONCLUSION: Overall, ISS was successfully used and enhanced a large-scale test of our hospital's mass-casualty response plan.
References
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[PMID: 23121247]
Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2013 Jun;39(6):268-73
[PMID: 23789165]
