 |
 |
|
TECH HORIZON > SIMULATION
Intelligent Tutoring Systems for Healthcare Professionals
SAN MATEO, Calif.--March 6, 2006—Consultant Stottler Henke Associates Inc. has won two contracts to develop simulation-based intelligent tutoring systems that will provide automated instruction and feedback to healthcare professionals in various emergency situations.
According to a company announcement, the tutoring systems are funded by branches of the U.S. military but have civilian applications. One is designed for use by paramedics and emergency medical technicians; the other is to train hospital medical teams to assess and respond to terrorist attacks that employ chemical, biological, or radiological weapons.
Development of the METTLE (Medical Emergency Team Tutored Learning Environment) system is funded by a $750,000 contract from the Office of the Secretary of Defense and administered by the U.S. Army's Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center at Fort Detrick, Maryland. The system, which will focus on attacks using chemical, biological, or radiological weapons, is intended for deployment at military training venues, civilian medical schools and medical continuing education.
METTLE will focus on high-level decision making skills training, with an emphasis on how teams of medical professionals interact. The simulated scenarios will address diagnosis and treatment of patients, and the institutional preparation and response of hospitals and other healthcare facilities.
Unlike conventional simulators, METTLE will allow the students to “converse” with simulated team members. The system also offers a tutoring dialog with the student both during and after exercises.
The first METTLE being created depicts the covert release of anthrax spores in a civilian urban setting. The program simulates a hospital emergency department as patients arrive presenting various symptoms to be diagnosed. One student at a time will play; all other team members will be simulated by the system.
The intelligent tutoring system will run on a standard PC. Students will converse with simulated team members via natural language.
The paramedic training tutoring system, called Adapt MD, is funded by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory through another $750,000 contract. In a market dominated by high-cost, mannequin-based simulators requiring significant instructor involvement, Adapt MD represents a low-cost, desktop PC-based simulation environment that requires little or no instructor facilitation, the company said.
Adapt MD will offer students a virtual training environment, accessible through a standard Web browser interface. Students will engage in a simulated emergency and must ascertain who is suffering from what, the priorities for medical attention, and the appropriate course of immediate action or treatment.
In one training scenario, for instance, paramedics arrive at a home where a child was run over by a car. The student must assess the situation and perform actions necessary to ensure scene safety, evaluate the condition of people in the scene, and stabilize them for transport. The simulation provides hints and feedback to guide the student. By offering automated assessment, coaching and performance review, Adapt MD enables students to train independently on their own time.
 | Privacy Policy | © 2006 Questex Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved |
|