Multi-professional Major Incident Simulation
On the 13th of March a major incident simulation, led by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, took place in Glasgow. This day was primarily created to test the interoperability of various emergency services, specifically regarding water rescues in the river Clyde. The day involved a large multi-agency response to a school bus going over the road barrier into the Clyde and the subsequent road traffic collision that ensued. More than one hundred emergency personnel were involved including members of the fire service, police and HM coastguard.
The fire service invited colleagues from the University of Glasgow Nursing & Health Care School to join the simulation. This then evolved into a medical education project targeted at final year nurses, final year medical students from the University of Glasgow and paramedic students from Glasgow Caledonian University.
In addition, emergency medicine trainees from across Scotland, emergency medicine consultants, and registered nurses also attended to support the educational experience for students. The students were given the opportunity to be immersed real time within the simulation and exposed to the pre-hospital setting of a major incident, as well as the connections between the various services involved.
Our student groups had the opportunity to act as casualties and patients. Some were able to experience the patient perspective of being extricated from a car in a road traffic collision. Paramedic students took on the role as first line emergency responders and practiced the assessment, triage and transport at a mass casualty incident - with support from embedded faculty and within the safe confines of simulation. Other student groups were also able to experience triaging at a major incident and became familiar with tools such as the ‘Ten Second Triage’ tool and the ‘MITT’ (Major Incident Triage Tool). Both tools are relatively new and came into effect towards the end of 2023. We also made use of the NES Mobile Skills Unit as a “hospital/receiving site” for the major incident. An unusual addition was the presence of journalism and media students from Glasgow Caledonian University, who gained invaluable experience in reporting on a live, dynamic situation.
Our students and embedded faculty considered the role of the Emergency Department when a major incident is declared. They practised the initial assessment and management of complex paediatric and adult trauma cases using multi-disciplinary and inter-professional simulation techniques. Participants experienced, in real time, the dynamic nature of a major incident in the pre-hospital setting. From this, they were able to develop their understanding of how a major incident can impact upon a receiving hospital, the effect on patients prior to reaching the emergency department, and the importance of interactivity between emergency services.
This simulation was a pilot that took interdisciplinary learning beyond that of just healthcare professionals and into the wider context involved in an emergency response, whilst traversing undergraduate and postgraduate learning and the roles of embedded faculty members within this. Organising a simulation of this scale posed various challenges for facilitators. The ongoing challenge now will be to recreate learning tools from this event and reflect on how this type of multi-agency simulation could be replicated for further learning needs.
Mobile Skills Unit Update
The next Mobile Skills Unit Faculty Development Course takes place in April and there are still two spaces available. See all 2024 course dates here.
Thank you to Kate Boyle for sharing this excellent video from the February Faculty Development course.
Thinking of booking the Mobile Skills Unit for your region? Check out the MSU availability on this calendar.
BASICS Scotland Update
Please refer to the BASICS Scotland website for all course dates
DIHS Scotland Update
Please refer to the DIHS Scotland website for all course dates
SCSCHF Update
Please refer to the SCSCHF website for all course dates
Conferences
8th International Symposium on Accidental Hypothermia 6 April - Aberdeen
NES Annual Conference - Developing a Compassionate, Skilled and Sustainable Workforce Through Innovative Education and Technology 25 & 26 April - Online
The Scottish SIMposium 11 June - Edinburgh
Registration is now open for the Scottish SIMposium 2024 on 11 June 2024. You can book this in-person event through the website here: Registration for SIMposium 2024
Society for Simulation in Europe - Supporting Excellence in Healthcare 19 – 21 June - Prague
ASPiH Conference 2024 3 - 5 of November - Edinburgh
Resources and Learning
The National Centre for Remote & Rural Health & Care is delivering a series of learning events. You can find more information on the National Centre for Remote & Rural Health & Care Series of Learning events by visiting the Turas page.
A range of resources to help you deliver simulation-based education can be found here.