BRING YOUR SIMULATION TO LIFE
Simulated Patient Instruction Sheet
44
simulate
patient #
Thank you for taking part in a training drill for emergency medical professionals. Your role as a simulated patient enables the teams to practice lifesaving skills in a realistic setting and helps them to save lives.
This drill is a mass-casualty-incident with many simulated patients.
During this drill, you will act the part of a person who has been seriously injured whose main injury is a penetrating wound to the chest with embedded shrapnel.
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You are positioned in an upright sitting position on the ground
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You are fully conscious, understand what is happening and showing signs of disquiet and stress
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When asked, you tell the caregiver that it hurts where you were hit and that it is hard to breath.
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You are breathing a little faster than usual, and during the drill your breathing appears to become more and more labored until the point when you cannot complete a sentence without needing to stop and gasp for breath (see 'scenario timeline' below)
Actor Instructions
Important note:
Breath as you normally would and only change your breathing pattern as described when the first caregiver approaches you.
Do not continue your unnatural breathing pattern for more than a short time. Convert back to your regular breathing as needed, and if you are comfortable doing so - change your breathing only when the caregiver appears to be assessing your breathing.
If you feel dizziness, weakness, tingling or any other sensation - resume breathing as normal immediately.
Scenario Timeline
As long as you have not received advanced care by an advanced life support team (paramedic/physician) by having a 'needle inserted into the chest' - your condition continues to deteriorate. This is true even after other measures are taken (including when you are given oxygen). Every ten minutes or so you inform the caregiver that it is harder to breath than it was before. You become unable to complete sentences.
If you have not yet been treated by a needle insertion within the timeline -
15:00
You 'become unconscious', close your eyes and stop responding to others. If you can, keep your breaths shallow for as long as you are comfortable as the medical teams assess you.
If at this point a 'needle is inserted' into the chest, take a big breath and start breathing normally - and a minute later open your eyes, telling the caregivers your are feeling better than before. It is still a bit hard to breath but not as bad as earlier. At this point - your condition remains the same.
Dear Participant:
The realism of the drill has a great impact on the learning experience. Play your role convincingly.
At the conclusion of the drill please return all props and effects to the drill administrator.
The medical teams -and their future patients - thank you very much !