Preparing medical first responders for crises: a systematic literature review of disaster training programs and their effectiveness.

BACKGROUND Adequate training and preparation of medical first responders (MFRs) are essential for an optimal performance in highly demanding situations like disasters (e.g., mass accidents, natural catastrophes). The training needs to be as effective as possible, because precise and effective behavior of MFRs under stress is central for ensuring patients' survival and recovery. This systematic review offers an overview of scientifically evaluated training methods used to prepare MFRs for disasters. It identifies different effectiveness indicators and provides an additional analysis of how and to what extent the innovative training technologies virtual (VR) and mixed reality (MR) are included in disaster training research. METHODS The systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines and focused specifically on (quasi-)experimental studies published between January 2010 and September 2021. The literature search was conducted via Web of Science and PubMed and led to the inclusion of 55 articles. RESULTS The search identified several types of training, including traditional (e.g., lectures, real-life scenario training) and technology-based training (e.g., computer-based learning, educational videos). Most trainings consisted of more than one method. The effectiveness of the trainings was mainly assessed through pre-post comparisons of knowledge tests or self-reported measures although some studies also used behavioral performance measures (e.g., triage accuracy). While all methods demonstrated effectiveness, the literature indicates that technology-based methods often lead to similar or greater training outcomes than traditional trainings. Currently, few studies systematically evaluated immersive VR and MR training. CONCLUSION To determine the success of a training, proper and scientifically sound evaluation is necessary. Of the effectiveness indicators found, performance assessments in simulated scenarios are closest to the target behavior during real disasters. For valid yet inexpensive evaluations, objectively assessible performance measures, such as accuracy, time, and order of actions could be used. However, performance assessments have not been applied often. Furthermore, we found that technology-based training methods represent a promising approach to train many MFRs repeatedly and efficiently. These technologies offer great potential to supplement or partially replace traditional training. Further research is needed on those methods that have been underrepresented, especially serious gaming, immersive VR, and MR

Full Issue: Volume 2, Issue 1 - April 2024

i - Editors’ Note by Ari Clements & Amit Syal ii - Foreword by Dr. Alan Hilibrand 7 - Exploring Approaches to Treatment of Musculoskeletal Injuries by Catherine Alvaro 9 - A Spotlight on the Various Subspecialties of Orthopedic Surgery by Ryan Garemani 14 - Exploring the Importance of Implant Selection in Total Hip Arthroplasty by John Czarnecki 16 - Revolutionizing Orthopaedics: Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Stem Cells by Harrison Fellheimer 18 - Shoulder Arthroplasty in Patients with Inflammatory Arthritis: Preoperative and Perioperative Management of Disease Modifying Anti-Rheumatic Drug Therapy by Daniel Kwak 22 - The Role of Psychological Readiness in Recovery from ACL Injury in Female Athletes by Samantha Meacock 25 - Examining the Role of Augmented Reality in Total Hip Arthroplasty by Joseph Raphael 28 - The Ins and Outs of Wide-Awake Hand Surgery by Molly Milano 31 - A Review of the Effects of Early Sport Specialization on the Health of Adolescent Baseball Players by Robert C. Juniewicz 34 - Summary of Early Sport Specialization in Baseball by Elijah Hoffma

The Advocate

Headlines include: In The Jesuit Tradition: Have You Ever Thought About Volunteering?; Retrospective: Dean Feerick\u27s Role In The Twenty-Fifth Amendment; Career Planning Tidbitshttps://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/student_the_advocate/1138/thumbnail.jp

Use of Serious games in Treatment of Depression

The purpose of this study was to investigate the concept of gamification as an alternative to treatment of Depression. The aim was to find out how serious games also known as Health games or Educational games are used in the treatment of depression globally. The study was implemented using a systematic literature review approach and eight selected articles were thematically analyzed. Sentences that answered the research question were highlighted then organized into themes. Two main themes deduced were Personalized patient support and self-help therapy. Under personalized patient support, the sub-themes included self-empowerment, Engagement and an adjunct to treatment of other illnesses. Self-help therapy entailed easy accessibility to treatment and privacy. The study established that serious games are a promising alternative to treatment of depression either solely or as an adjunct. However, more studies should be done in other parts of the world. So far, most of the studies have been done in Australia and New Zealand which is a very small portion to be fully relied on

Ono: an open platform for social robotics

In recent times, the focal point of research in robotics has shifted from industrial ro- bots toward robots that interact with humans in an intuitive and safe manner. This evolution has resulted in the subfield of social robotics, which pertains to robots that function in a human environment and that can communicate with humans in an int- uitive way, e.g. with facial expressions. Social robots have the potential to impact many different aspects of our lives, but one particularly promising application is the use of robots in therapy, such as the treatment of children with autism. Unfortunately, many of the existing social robots are neither suited for practical use in therapy nor for large scale studies, mainly because they are expensive, one-of-a-kind robots that are hard to modify to suit a specific need. We created Ono, a social robotics platform, to tackle these issues. Ono is composed entirely from off-the-shelf components and cheap materials, and can be built at a local FabLab at the fraction of the cost of other robots. Ono is also entirely open source and the modular design further encourages modification and reuse of parts of the platform

Developing high-fidelity health care simulation scenarios : a guide for educators and professionals

“The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Simulation & Gaming, 42 (1), 2011, copyright SAGE Publications Ltd on SAGE Journals Online: http://online.sagepub.com/ "The development of appropriate scenarios is critical in high-fidelity simulation training. They need to be developed to address specific learning objectives, while not preventing other learning points from emerging. Buying a patient simulator, finding a volunteertoact as the patient, or even obtaining ready-made scenarios from another simulation center are rarely insurmountable challenges. The issue often lies in how to use or adapt these for your own purpose: with your team, facilities, and resources but primarily for your learners. Published information is limited in the area of scenario preparation for health care education and continuing medical education or continuing professional development. This article is a guide for clinical tutors, standardized patient trainers, and patient simulator operators on how to script scenarios and proposes a new detailed and reusable template for writing scenarios. It contains practical sections such as how to decide on the learning objectives to be addressed, how to script and organize your scenarios, and how to pitch the suitable level of details to make the scenarios appropriately realistic.Peer reviewe